NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14
After the lecture ended, a flood of people poured out. Among them were four figures.
“Ugh, that professor. Should I terrorize him with lecture evaluations?”
“I think so too. Want to join me, Kainel?”
“Be careful.”
“Ugh, even the Fox Slime doesn’t attack people!”
Ariel, still shivering as if in disgust, was checking her condition next to Kainel. And then there were Maradol and me.
To anyone else, we looked like quite the unusual group. How come we have so little overlapping color schemes?
We walked in sync.
“Hey, Licht, are you heading to the Central Hall?”
“Probably. I need to submit my admission form.”
“I’ll come with you, Helmet Guy. You’ll come too, right, Kainel?”
“Sure, I’ll follow.”
Why are you coming? Don’t let the flag get broken and drift away. I tried to change the subject.
“By the way, Maradol, are you not interested in the swordsmanship club?”
“Nah, I already know everything.”
Ah, that’s more than two words.
What’s famous in the Empire is swordsmanship, and especially the Grancia-style swordsmanship passed down from the royal family. There’s definitely no need to learn elsewhere.
“So, is that why you want to learn swordsmanship from me?”
“Your aerial combat is weak.”
Well, the Emperor is a crazy guy who doesn’t care about distance. I forgot he was one of the Ten Heroes.
The Wolf King who conquered the continent with just a one-handed axe. As long as I don’t meet him, I’ll be fine.
“…isn’t that enough?”
“No, it’s not sufficient.”
If I break the promise I made to the Crown Prince, I’m screwed. I pictured the character setting in my head.
Rock Grancia, the Emperor.
‘He was someone who cherished his family greatly.’
So, in [Black Heart], if he rejects the Crown Prince from the start or if there’s any threat to his safety, the Imperial Guard shows up right away. His character was greatly influenced by the wars.
“Hmm… are you planning to join the Magic Club, Maradol?”
“What about you?”
“Well, since I can’t use magic, I’m planning to get help from Professor Dennis. You know?”
I spoke honestly.
My secret was already out. Any more lies would put me in danger. Maradol could call the guards, thinking, ‘How dare you offend my feelings?’ I conveyed only the truth without hiding anything.
“That’s right.”
“What? Licht, you can’t use magic..? What do you usually eat?”
“Really? What’s going on? Helmet Guy?”
I pressed my hand to my forehead. It’s not that something is going on; it’s that you guys are weird.
I’d never mentioned to these two that I had a body without mana.
‘Other people would probably also struggle to use magic if they didn’t eat for a few days.’
They say they recharge mana using food, like radioactive bananas. No matter how much I eat, I never felt that fullness.
It’s already been five years. This is definitely a problem.
“There’s something going on…”
“Ugh, sorry. Was it a sensitive topic? Helmet Guy… poor you.”
“Don’t tell me the swordsmanship we did back then was also like that? Was that a technique without mana?”
“Did you lose the sequence?”
Ariel covered her mouth with both hands. And the Golden Boy narrowed his eyes. The Crown Prince hung his head. Things started getting a bit serious.
“I’m just a bit of a peculiar constitution.”
I’m not some poor unfortunate soul as you think. Stop it; I’m not the type to skip meals for days on end. I needed to wrap this up quickly. I waved my hands to soothe them.
“I’ll believe you, Licht. But if you’re hungry, just tell me. I’ll buy you food.”
“Helmet Guy… our academy’s meals are cheap and delicious… What’s going on…”
“…Are you hungry?”
“Not at all! I really don’t skip meals!”
I felt my face getting hot. I wanted to hide in a mouse hole from embarrassment. Is this the bickering style of the main character couple? Such suffocating teamwork.
At that moment, suddenly, the two looked at me and laughed.
“Got it, it must be because you can’t take off that helmet. Just kidding. Just kidding.”
“Kai, that’s why it’s fun. Should we tease Helmet Guy again next time?”
Kainel, Ariel. You guys knew all along, huh? You’ve grown a lot. Next time, I have to set the affection level boost at 50 percent. I smirked inwardly.
“…”
Maradol seems to have cut ties with humor. Seriously lacking in social skills. Has he grown only in the greenhouse like a flower?
What in [Black Heart] happened in the last nine years to make him like this?
“…We’ve arrived.”
As we chatted and moved along, we found ourselves in front of the sign that read [Magic Club] at the Central Hall.
I opened the firmly shut door.
*
There, a handsome young man with blue hair was watering a yellow flower.
“Hey, aren’t you my students attending my lectures? What brings you here? Could it be admission applications?”
“That’s right. Professor Dennis. Long time no see.”
I immediately bowed in greeting. It felt friendly seeing a familiar face I’d seen so often from [Night Heart] to [Black Heart]. I accidentally said the words “long time no see.”
“I’m still young enough to recognize students like Licht.”
“Do you remember me?”
He chuckled while sipping his coffee.
“Old Man Drake wouldn’t stop bragging about you. Well, I raised a few minor cautions.”
“How interesting.”
He was a person whose white aura stood out. He could only barely keep his wits when he was tipsy enough to maintain a drunk state as he extended a tipsy handshake to me. It was fascinating to see.
“Hello, Professor! Do you remember me?”
“Ariel… it’s you, my student. How’s your magic technique doing?”
“Yep! Thanks to you! I’m here to submit my admission application!”
“Such a long absence from students. Usually, students don’t come here because they’re scared of someone like me.”
“You look handsome! Not as much as Kai, though…”
As expected, bright Ariel. She was laughing, waving her red hair around. She’s good at greeting even those she meets for the second time.
Top-notch cat friendliness!
“I’m Kainel. I want to join to practice infusing mana into my sword.”
“This is a holy sword, isn’t it? That must have been tough.”
“…Do you know this?”
“Of course. I’ve tried to smash, break, or destroy it countless times.”
The man wore a troubled expression. Dennis was known for valuing human lives, often acting to eliminate holy swords.
He had even expressed his support for establishing this academy.
“Raise those worthy to become heroes or champions.”
He made the liquid in his coffee mug form shapes and wrote words with it.
Just a simple sentence with simple characters.
“That was the purpose of establishing Grand Hertz Academy, which I originally claimed. Brother Rock hated it, and it failed because of President Laplace.”
He lightly twirled his finger as he continued to speak.
“You’re that late student from back then.”
“Hello.”
“I hope you won’t be late to the next lecture.”
Oh, now that I see it, he could talk normally, couldn’t he?
It seems like there’s an understanding among main characters. But why is he so curt with Kainel? The Golden Boy bowed his head.
“Well, let’s put small talk aside and welcome you to the Magic Club, my friends.”
As soon as he finished speaking, colorful rainbow droplets began to layer in front of our eyes.
“As I mentioned in the previous basic lecture, I aim for extremes.”
The droplets lined up, rotating in a ring shape around his hand. Is this also alcohol? The scent was unmistakably alcoholic.
‘Must be something cocktail-like.’
While smelling it, I noticed the armor of the Crown Prince beside me twitching.
Is it sensitive because he’s like a wolf? This is some serious detail.
“Alright, now show me your magic.”
He grinned and spoke to us.
I wondered when they’d brought in the desks; five of us now had enough room to sit comfortably.
But I wouldn’t be able to. Feeling uneasy, I raised my hand to ask a question. It was still better than talking during class.
“Professor Dennis.”
“What is it, Licht?”
“I can’t use magic.”
“…You’re joking, right? Drake can do at least some.”
I shook my head. No explanation was coming through. Drake admired me, and even that old man had a rough time with mana.
“How does someone who’s worse than him get admitted to the academy? Ah, did you beat him up with swordsmanship? No way?”
“Yes. Old Man Drake told me to do it.”
“Please, have some restraint…no wonder the examiner looked like he got hit by someone.”
At that story, everyone turned to look at me.
You all can do it too. If you learn from Old Man Drake, it’s easy.
“Is it normal for me to mix blades with such a guy? Ariel? We barely passed, but…”
“I’m feeling a bit scared now. Kai…”
“…You are indeed peculiar.”
With those weird glances from both of them and the Crown Prince seemingly piercing through me, it felt like I could see muscles even under their clothes, but I dismissed it as my imagination.
“Let me take a moment, Licht.”
Dennis unfolded a magic circle.
Oh, it’s really a magic circle made of droplets. It gave off a refreshing vibe.
“You know the three elements of magic, right? Licht.”
“Mana, magic circuit, and incantation.”
“Among those, the incantation can be omitted. It’s a bit weakened, but this way, you can become stronger again.”
「Empty Gold.」
A golden magic circle sprouted dozens around me.
The aroma of beer spread throughout the clubroom. And the magic circle glowed for dozens of minutes.
“This is… going to be tough.”
“What seems to be the problem? Professor Dennis.”
He withdrew his magic. He ruffled his hair, indicating that this situation was serious.
“You can’t do it.”
Seriously, is that so? Even the pinnacle of water magic, Dennis, can’t do it? I wore a look of disbelief.
You wouldn’t be able to see it through my helmet, but I tried hard.
“Your magic circuit is all tangled up. Like a ball of yarn… What have you done?”
I’ve transmigrated into a game.
“I’ve just eaten and slept well…”
“Not having mana can be fixed; just eat more and you’ll be fine…”
He sighed again. So it turns out eating wasn’t the issue. I felt relieved to know my stomach functioned normally.
“This is to the point that every blood vessel needs to be replaced.”
“That would kill a person, right?”
“True, but there’s an upside. You might be resistant to magical attacks.”
“That’s not too bad. What’s the downside?”
At my boldly asked question, Dennis shook his head sadly.
“Healing won’t work. If you get injured, it would be the worst.”
“…That’s really bad news.”
So that’s why I was so exhausted even after taking potions. I was baffled by the mysteries of the human body that I uncovered after five years. So that’s what happened.
“Old Man Drake also heals with potions, but…”
“That’s tragic. Isn’t there another way, Professor?”
“This is truly beyond my field. Licht. No wonder Old Man Drake made you his successor.”
He sat back down and took a sip of coffee. Then he handed back the paper I had brought, leaving the other students’ applications untouched.
“I’ll have to reject your application. I’m sorry.”
“…”
I didn’t see this coming.
No way, where did my happy magic romance academy life go? I need to watch over Ariel and Kainel too. I began brainstorming solutions in my head.
“…Professor, have you heard of 3D magic circles?”
The ultimate move of Dennis from [Night Heart].
If it’s that, there could be a way!