How History is Written in the Infirmary (3)
[That moment, an open field a short distance from the old school building. Old school training area.]
A wide clearing about a kilometer from the old school dormitory building. Surrounded by a dense forest, this expansive field resembled a training ground where several faculty staff members were wielding sickles, diligently clearing the weeds growing from the ground.
"Hey, over there. Instructor Esta?"
"What is it?"
Unia pointed alternately at the item in her hand and the tools the staff were holding, asking Esta.
"Is it really okay for me to hold this Magic Rifle here?"
"Of course. You're a student, and they're faculty staff."
"What about you, Instructor?"
"If we have to get technical, I'm a 'teacher.' Instructors teach, while faculty staff handle the administrative work to keep the academy running smoothly."
Esta pointed to the smoothly packed dirt at her feet.
"The old school's training ground has been neglected for ages, so even this place isn't properly maintained."
"I'm used to it, though...."
"Used to it?"
"I've done magic training in forests or mountains a lot. Places where monsters show up and all that."
Esta openly showed her dissatisfaction with the training ground, which seemed barely carved out from the long-abandoned great forest, but Unia didn't seem to mind the environment much.
"Then what's worrying you?"
"I just feel like it's weird for me to train here like this. While they're working over there."
Unia subtly glanced at the people sweating profusely under the blazing sun, swinging sickles to cut weeds.
"It feels a bit off...."
"Helping them might actually make them uncomfortable. Got it?"
"Pardon?"
"Look at their outfits."
"Ah, yes. They're wearing sky-blue work clothes."
"Right. Work clothes. And the clothes you need to wear from now on are a 'uniform.' Or school uniform, in other words."
"Uniform...."
Unia swallowed hard at the word uniform.
"Everyone has their designated attire. Instructors have some leeway there, but as a student, you need to fulfill your role properly. Just like right now."
Esta reached out toward the magic handgun Unia was holding.
"I'll demonstrate personally, so hand it over for a sec?"
"Ah, yes."
Esta took the somewhat heavy magic handgun—bigger than a hand axe—from Unia and placed her finger on the trigger.
"Long ago, as magical engineering advanced, people started researching how to apply it to combat. This magic handgun was the beginning of that research, a byproduct."
"The beginning...?"
"It started with the question, 'How can we fire magic missiles more easily?'"
As Esta gathered mana, the barrel of the magic handgun began to sparkle with mana.
"That became refined into what's called a mana bullet, and the barrel was calibrated and adjusted to fire magic missiles with greater 'lethality.' That's the modern magic handgun. And its most basic ability is...."
Click.
"It shapes the mana of the one pulling the trigger directly into bullet form and fires it as a mana bullet."
Bang!
A fairly loud explosion rang out from the magic handgun, and Esta fired a mana bullet—mostly white with hints of green—toward a tree.
"Whoa...!"
"What color was that mana bullet just now?"
"The color? Well...."
Unia pointed to Esta's hair and eyes.
"It looked like a mix of your hair color and eye color...? Hmm, not fully blended, more like two different colored waters staying together...?"
"Everyone perceives it differently, but the color of the mana bullet when fired indicates one's 'affinity' for mana."
Esta handed the magic handgun back to Unia and spread out seven fingers.
"Humans can handle a total of seven types of mana: fire, water, wind, earth, light, dark, and illusion. Academy students get assessed for their aptitude in these seven, then follow individualized curricula accordingly."
"......So if aptitudes differ, we can't take classes together?"
"Worried you and Phoenix might have different mana aptitudes?"
"N-no, not that."
Unia fidgeted as she gripped the magic rifle with both hands.
"Having different aptitudes is good for varied responses in dangerous situations, but taking classes completely separately...."
"It's not 100% separate."
"Really?"
"Out of, say, 20 hours of lectures a week, only 4 to 6 hours are specialized by mana aptitude."
Esta grinned and patted Unia's back.
"The special class will stick to common topics at least through the first semester, so you two can stay together until then. Feel better now?"
"...Hearing you say that makes me sound like someone who gets anxious without Phoenix around."
"You don't?"
"......You know I do."
Unia precisely aimed the magic rifle in the direction Esta had fired.
"If I leave him alone, what if some weird girls latch onto him? Like, say... the leader of the Binyu Group."
"Yeah. I get why you're worried on multiple fronts."
Esta nodded briefly.
"If genders were reversed, it'd be like tossing a virgin into an army barracks to live together. Totally nuts."
"Ugh...."
"He might not intend it, but every action leads to misunderstandings. Whether he means to or is just trying to get close that way, who knows."
"Probably both, I think."
Unia began refining a mana bullet by gathering mana.
"Getting close or approaching someone is the primary goal, but if it turns into a real relationship, he'd probably be fine with that too."
"You felt that?"
"Yes. ...Probably."
Unia closed her eyes briefly, then lightly pulled the trigger finger she'd hooked.
"He probably means it about wanting a harem."
"......."
"If he sees a beauty, he'll try some moves...."
"You gonna stop him or make sure he doesn't?"
"What about you, Instructor?"
"Me? Students enjoying their youth—I'm in no position to say anything. What about you, Miss Unia?"
"I...."
Slightly, strength entered her trigger finger.
"...don't really know yet."
With those words, she pulled the trigger all the way.
Bang!
The magic rifle glowed, spewing a golden flash toward the tree.
"Huh?"
Boom!!
"...Huh?"
With a massive explosion, the tree shattered from the middle outward.
"......That wasn't a real tree, right? Some magic illusion?"
"It's a real tree."
"......."
"Looks like Miss Unia needs practice not just understanding her attribute, but...."
Esta clicked her tongue, eyeing Unia's mana pouch.
"...controlling her mana output too."
"...Yes."
Unia lowered the barrel.
"Um."
"What now?"
"What do you think Phoenix's mana affinity is like?"
* * *
"...What is this?"
I pointed the magic handgun at the ceiling and poured mana skyward. Cardisha stared at me with a stiff expression.
"Something that's never been reported in academia. Not once."
"Is that so?"
I kept pulling the trigger toward the ceiling.
Pew, pew, pyooong.
Mana shot up like from a water gun, the focused mana bullets bursting like fireworks in a spray of light.
"Rainbow-colored."
Splashing with seven brilliant hues.
(Strictly speaking, not exactly red-orange-yellow-green-blue-indigo-violet.)
The seven mana colors burst like fireworks and faded, repeating the cycle.
"...Ah, I get it."
Cardisha grinned at me while watching the mini fireworks display.
"You can even control mana precisely, huh?"
"I just know how to refine it to this level."
I gripped the magic handgun with both hands and channeled mana into the barrel.
"To manifest all attributes as 'balanced' as possible."
"......Yeah."
The seven mana stones covering the barrel resonated with similar mana outputs. Though faint, none stood out or lagged—perfect balance, rare to see elsewhere.
"Or maybe aptitude for all mana types, but...."
"As you see, the mana capacity is still way too low."
I pointed to the barrel cover that flickered faintly after nearly dying out.
"For now, I'll study while recovering mana."
"How far can you build it up?"
"Who knows. But probably seven times harder than average folks?"
"......A variable, huh?"
Cardisha took the magic handgun with a serious face.
"If you can split and fire mana individually with that control, couldn't you squeeze out like seven shots full power?"
"Not impossible, but it'd exhaust me to death. Besides...."
I subtly backed away from Cardisha drawing closer.
"Could you... give me some space?"
"Oh, uh? ...Ah, yeah."
I gave an awkward smile on purpose, and Cardisha tilted her head, scanning me up and down.
"...Ah, um, ...wait."
She glanced at my lower half once, then grabbed a blanket from the next bed and draped it over me.
"Men really... have it rough. Push mana to the limit, and it just... reacts like that."
"Natural physiological response. Can't be helped."
A trait of males in this world. The more mana used and circulated, the faster blood flows, activating everything that swells with blood flow.
"Ugh, yeah...."
Cardisha pretended nonchalance but eyed me slyly.
"You... how old did you say?"
"Officially, 17."
"Officially?"
"Means unofficially, I can be whatever age needed."
"......."
Bait tossed. Not there yet.
"Ah, uh, right. Got it. For now...."
Cardisha's a researcher, not some highly experienced type. Sharp on theory, zero practical. Basically married to magic theory.
"Rest a bit. Haha, it's hot."
Academic or biological lens? Fine. But shatter that focus, and she's just a normal woman.
"......Sleep it off. I'll wake you when Esta gets here."
"Thanks for the consideration."
I pulled the blanket up, clasped my hands in prayer, and closed my eyes.
Empty infirmary. Male student on the bed. Flustered female teacher blushing.
Calm down.
Can't let that happen.
So, before any slip-up, time for self-imposed sage mode.
Help me out, Cumming Nun.
[What crazy nonsense is that?]
Consciousness faded to black.
[What are you planning this time? Infirmary play?]
My consciousness slowly sank.
* * *
Darkness.
A new space.
"Ahh, to this poor little lamb, overflowing with desire yet unable to release it recklessly."
Above me.
"From now on, let us hold a time of confession to release that desire."
Chang Yeom, in a nun outfit, straddled atop me.
"Speak. What were you thinking?"
"......."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
The human heart is so cunning.
"I was thinking of Master."
The moment I saw her, vulgarly—