Deculein’s gaze was always unflinching. Straight eyes that pierced through to only the correct answer. As if the direction he looked in was itself the path.
Hesitation, doubt, fear, regret—all such negative things did not exist in Deculein.
An ego made only of certainty. A self-righteousness that believed in its own correctness.
And yet even that haughtiness and arrogance, in the end, became dignity.
······Even his distortions were noble.
Her father, who had committed suicide under Deculein, had vanished as though he had never existed to begin with, like a mirage scattered by a sandstorm. Not a single blemish remained on Deculein, and no one suspected him.
Only Epherene knew the truth, and she surely hated him in his entirety.
Even so.
She did not have the confidence to meet his gaze.
It felt as though an immense wall, an absolute limit she could never reach, had fallen between him and her like a curtain.
A mage is one who seeks the truth without wavering.
A cold-blooded race that remains calm before any variable, never agitated, maintaining a steady pulse as they derive their own answer.
If one doubts oneself, relies on others, or is vulnerable to pressure, one cannot become a proper mage.
Therefore, Deculein might be—though she hated to admit it to death—a truly born mage.
Perhaps all this time, I had been mistaken about something.
Perhaps I had underestimated the magical bloodline of Yukline far too much.
“······.”
In the end, Epherene lowered her head.
It had been a fight she could not win from the very beginning.
Him, a professor, and me, someone who hasn’t even gone through the Academy.
Between us lies an enormous gap in years, experience, knowledge, and skill.
The nonsense that such an accumulated difference could be filled and surpassed in an instant by talent alone was nothing more than the delusion of a fool ignorant of the world.
“······I’m sorry.”
Epherene squeezed out the words in a cracked voice.
Her heart had collapsed. She could not even think of resisting.
She had become afraid.
So now, she had no choice but to admit defeat······.
“Pathetic.”
Deculein spoke. Epherene’s shoulders trembled. In the eyes she timidly looked up to see, there was a fragment of contempt.
“Composure is a mage’s most basic quality.”
Those words cut through her chest like a blade.
“If you cannot even maintain your calm for an assignment of this level.”
She did not want to hear it. It felt as though her mind was being hacked to pieces.
“You will never escape being half-baked for the rest of your life.”
She wanted to run away. She felt as though she would suffocate in this mire of a lecture hall.
“······A mage, by nature, even if someone provokes you.”
But.
“Even if you fail countless times, even if the pressure tightens around your throat.”
But······.
“Even.”
At that moment.
“Even if your enemy stands before your eyes.”
“!”
Epherene trembled all over. A shudder ran up her back. Her eyes, widened to their limit, stared at Deculein.
Deculein’s face was still composed.
“You must always remain cold.”
Epherene understood his words, his meaning.
“If you are so pathetic, you will never reach me.”
She clenched her fists.
At the same time, she felt heat rising from the bottom of her heart.
This, too, was a kind of “passion.”
“You will not even be able to remain at the tips of my feet.”
Epherene did not run from his rebuke.
Rather, she accepted it.
“Consider why no disciplinary action was taken against you.”
What have I accomplished since entering the Tower with such bravado?
From the very first class, I could not restrain my anger, and as a result, I nearly got expelled.
“I do not want an apology from the likes of you.”
I was foolish. I was stupid.
A fool, an idiot, a moron.
Even now, I was still immature.
“I am disappointed, Epherene.”
Deculein set his watch down on the lectern. Then he straightened his cuffs and collar. It was a habit he always had when ending a lecture.
Turning around, he opened the door of the lecture hall.
“I thought you were a gem in the rough.”
······Leaving those last words behind.
He departed.
But his voice remained in the air, lingering vividly.
What had he expected, and what had disappointed him?
He did not tell her.
“······.”
Epherene stood expressionless, repeating his words to herself.
The helplessness that had been spreading through her entire body had already turned to ash and flown away.
Step, step—Epherene climbed onto the platform.
From the place where Deculein had always stood, she looked at the watch he had left behind.
[5:57:17]
[5:57:18]
[5:57:19]
Time was still flowing.
“······.”
Looking at that watch, Epherene gritted her teeth.
“······So what if you’re disappointed?”
She muttered as though spitting the words out, then seized the watch.
Turning on her heel, she stood at her table.
“······I can do it.”
Epherene rolled up her sleeves. Recalling the formulas, she warmed up her mana.
Once again, she placed her hands on the elements.
“I can do it. Whether the likes of you is disappointed or not.”
If she could not do it today, then until this night was over.
If she could not do it even after staying up all night, then until tomorrow.
······Until she died.
Even if she died, she would not give up. The word “give up” had already been erased from her mind.
No, Deculein had erased it.
“I can do it too······.”
She forced herself to hold back the tears that flowed.
Strangely enough, she was able to hold them back.
With the strength she would have used to shed worthless drops like tears, she spun mana. She burned the emotions welling up inside her as fuel.
Drip— Drip— Blood flowed from her nose.
“I said I can do it······.”
Those drops of blood soon blossomed into roses of metal.
* * *
I leaned against the wall outside the lecture hall and thought.
I had ended up spending nearly seven hours on a single person. Yet the reason was not clear.
Today, for Epherene, a death variable had······.
Not occurred.
There had been no such thing as a death variable.
Epherene had simply been weak, and I had not wanted to see her broken state.
Epherene was a good child.
She was clearly a benevolent named character.
Back when I was a developer and player—in other words, a keyboard-and-mouse user—I had been a knight with little connection to magic, but I clearly remembered the family called “Luna.”
She would undoubtedly grow into a mage worthy of becoming one of the pillars of this world. A mage who would have a positive influence on the main quest.
What she lacked were many things—mental strength, mentality, awareness as a mage, and the like—but overcoming them did not require many materials.
The ember called Luna would blaze on its own if given just one piece of firewood, or if oil were poured over it.
Of course, whether the flames that grew like that would sweep me away as well was unknown.
But neither in this game nor in this world is there a fixed future.
Fate is nothing more than the faith of those who do not strive, so the only thing I believe in is myself.
Therefore, Epherene will not kill me.
I will make it so.
I will not allow her to catch up to me—so that she cannot kill me, so that she cannot even dare to try.
This kind of rivalry is not bad. It was not my intention, but Deculein’s personality can be used in this way as well.
I cannot be caught up to by a mere Debutante.
—I caaan do it!
A powerful shout leaked out from the lecture hall. I let out a small laugh.
“······A professor, or a teacher.”
I muttered so, but I did not feel bad.
At that very moment.
[ Side Quest Complete: Your Path ]
◆ Shop Currency +1
“······Hm?”
Out of nowhere, a quest reward appeared.
As if someone far away in the sky were praising my choice today.
Rrrrrk—
Suddenly, the lecture hall door opened, and Epherene sprang out.
Without noticing me behind the wall, she went down the stairs. Perhaps her body had been strained, because she waddled like a penguin.
I watched her back, then entered the lecture hall.
“Hm.”
······The nighttime lecture hall was no longer dark.
On Epherene’s table, every spell had been preserved, shining with brilliant light.
“Goblin Fire,” as if truly manipulated by ghosts, had numerous fireballs floating in the air; “Devouring Mist” flashed blue like a thundercloud; and “Rising Metal” had taken the form of a rose.
I looked at the watch placed on that table.
[ 6:25:05 ]
6 hours and 25 minutes.
An achievement completed in a mere 28 minutes.
Jealousy crept up within me.
I was also pointlessly annoyed. If I had known this would happen, I should have scolded her a little more harshly.
“Good grief.”
In this way, Deculein’s ego refuses to become a merely kind person.
As if saying that the people I can be kind to are extremely limited, that those who can see my smile are exceedingly rare······ It is, damnably, an expensive body.
Was this what “elitism” was? It was utterly filthy.
I took out the record sheet and wrote.
[ Debutante Epherene │ Time Taken: 6 hours 25 minutes 5 seconds ]
[ She has inherited all the chronic shortcomings of those without an Academy background, but the quality of her results is enough to contend for first place. ]
[ Score: 0 ]
[ Reason: Exceeded time limit (6 hours 25 minutes) ]
*
After dismantling the spells preserved on the table, I went out to the Magic Tower’s parking lot.
I was about to get in my car and leave work as usual.
“······?”
Late at night, with a cold wind swirling. Beneath the magical streetlamp in the vast parking lot.
There, I discovered an unexpected person.
He was a man wearing an overcoat large enough for two grown men.
It looked almost as if he had draped an entire white tiger over himself, and his broad shoulders and sturdy physique were truly the body of a warrior, but his face was so handsome it felt out of place on such a giant frame.
I know him.
“Zeit von Brugang Freyden.”
As his surname shows, he is Yulie’s older brother by twelve years and the current head of Freyden. A handsome middle-aged man on whom neatly pomaded white hair suited very well.
I grew extremely tense.
Zeit is a named character renowned for his tremendous combat ability.
His actual initial combat strength was ranked third, and I had even indirectly experienced his fame through the monitor.
Seeing such a Zeit in person······ His body was far beyond even LeBron James in size.
“Chief Professor Deculein.”
He called my name. His expression was stiff.
Was it because of Yulie’s Snowflake Stone? If so, was this situation also a death variable? At present, there should be no way to stand against that monster.
Thinking so, I approached and stood beside Zeit, but he suddenly smiled brightly, a good-natured smile.
“Hahaha. Good to see you. Seeing you here brings forth quite a different feeling.”
I was bewildered, but soon nodded calmly.
“······I see.”
“Yes. It is nothing much, but rumors are widespread these days that things are not good between you and Yulie. And as I happened to have business at the Imperial Palace as well, I came by. They said you were in class, so I waited here.”
It seemed Zeit was in favor of the marriage between Deculein and Yulie.
“At least for now.”
“Is that so.”
“Do not worry. I will make it so the ceremony can be held at least within this year. Within this week, I will arrange a meal.”
Zeit’s disposition is not absolute evil.
However, since he prioritizes only his own family above all else, it is difficult to call him purely good either.
Though he is affable like this now, if Deculein goes beyond becoming harmful to Yulie and even begins to negatively affect the family, he will cut him off without hesitation.
“There is no need for a meal.”
“No need? This engagement was arranged by me, so I must take responsibility.”
He placed his hand heavily on my shoulder. I instinctively frowned. Seeing my expression, Zeit withdrew his hand first.
“Hahaha! This is why I like you. Young fellows these days know only flattery and sycophancy. As expected, I like that you are manly.”
“······Is that so.”
“Even if one is a mage, if one has strong spirit, one is no weakling.”
Zeit laughed heartily.
“All you need do is show up. I have chosen a restaurant you will very much like, so do not worry.”
The gaze with which he stared at me as he said that was heavy.
I could not think of a way to refuse.
“It is late tonight, and I have other work to attend to, so I shall be going. By the way, your vehicle truly is fine. Let me ride in it next time. Haha.”
Without even giving me a chance to refuse, Zeit left.
The back that stomped away with thud after thud was, no matter how many times I looked at it, inhumanly broad.
“......Is he asking me to buy him a car as a dowry?”
I tilted my head and got into the car. The driver, who had been asleep, started awake and seized the steering wheel.
“You’re here, sir!”
“Did you take Allen home?”
“Ah, I was going to, but he said he was fine and left first!”
I nodded.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, sir! I’ll take you at once!”
* * *
......Early the next morning.
On the outskirts of the Imperial Capital, in the three-story mansion Julie had acquired without anyone’s help.
“I refuse!”
“Why do you hate it so much?”
A quarrel was in full swing in the training ground in the yard. It was a fight waged not with swords, but with words.
“We fought. Besides, I’m busy teaching the knights. I have no time to see him.”
“Are you sulking like this just because he took a single piece of Snowflower Stone from you?”
“Sulking?!”
Julie snapped back. Zeit found it strange that Julie would get so worked up over a mere dinner, and Julie was frustrated by her brother’s refusal to understand.
“Julie. Think. Why did he purchase the Snowflower Stone? Snowflower Stone is a metal that can only be made into weapons. If anything, he did it for you—”
“If he truly intends to make me a sword and gift it to me, then at that very moment, I will announce the annulment of our engagement.”
A word she had agonized over hundreds of times, yet had never once spoken aloud.
Annulment.
“......”
The air over the area settled heavily.
Zeit looked down at Julie in silence.
Julie was overwhelmed by that terrifying presence. The intimidation of a man who stood two meters and ten centimeters tall in bare feet—no, the even greater stature of their family—pressed down on her.
Even she, who had always stood proudly no matter who her opponent was, had no choice but to lower her gaze in the end.
“I told you before. Annulment is foolish. Deculein’s achievements may be faltering for the moment, but Yukline is still our staunch ally.”
Zeit was the one who had actively pushed for the engagement between Julie and Deculein.
It had begun about three years ago, from the day he had shared drinks with Deculein.
“Furthermore, as far as I know, there is no man who loves you as much as Deculein does. Or is there some other man you have given your heart to?”
“......There is no such person.”
“Then why do you hesitate? It was you, Julie, who said that feelings were unnecessary in political arrangements between families. Are Deculein’s poor results bothering you that much? A mage can falter for a while—”
“It is not a matter of results.”
Julie was a knight. She had been born a child and become a knight, and in the end, she would die as a knight. She would lie down upon that conviction.
“Then what on earth is it because of?”
......However, a knight, by nature, was a creature that could not exist alone.
A knight without a lord was merely a warrior; only when a lord called their name did they truly become a knight.
“It has been over a year since the engagement was settled. How long do you intend to postpone the marriage?”
Her lord was none other than her family, Freyden.
That was why it had also been she herself who accepted this engagement.
“I will arrange a dinner this week. Deculein has agreed to come as well, so make peace that day.”
Zeit said only that, then turned and left.
“......”
Julie, who had been standing there blankly, soon gripped a sword from the training ground.
The mana soaked into the blade rose coldly. The mana took the form of crystals and wrapped around the sword’s edge. When she swung the sword in that state, a half-moon-shaped slash shot forth and froze the area.
──!
Before the ice could even shatter, an immaculate chain of attacks followed. Her graceful swordsmanship carved a lattice pattern into the air.
In this way, Julie’s fury was always expressed through the sword.
By swinging and swinging solely of her own will, by cutting down and cutting down invisible things, she sublimated her emotions in the world of the sword, separated from the mundane world.
And in doing so, even the unbearable would, in time, become bearable......
......Watching that lord from afar,
her subordinate knight, Veron, bit his lip until it bled.