I Pretended To Have Amnesia and the Hero’s Party Becomes Obsessed

40 – 6. The First Piece (4)

In the midst of the blue light of magical lamps dispelling the night, an old pen danced brilliantly on the paper.

What it drew were shapes developed and conceived by the ancient wizards. The pen connected lines and overlapped surfaces with precise accuracy. Its dance was seamless, almost as if enchanted by something.

Thud.

However, at some point, the pen stopped. The flow of thoughts, which had been flowing like water, hit a snag.

Trying to move the thoughts again, I contorted my face. Gripping my head, I banged it on the desk.

But once thoughts came to a halt, they refused to budge.

Instead, only useless thoughts lingered in my mind.

I had lost again.

Laziness was a perfect defeat without even the excuse of an explanation.

After my mother’s advice, I doubled my study hours. I reduced my already minimal sleep time from three hours a day to just one.

Yet, I still lost.

Even after checking the answer sheet, I reluctantly accepted my defeat.

The Dolores 4th D-5 Luminous Magic Circle he drew was, at a glance, several times more efficient than mine.

The professor said the difference wasn’t that significant, but I knew it was a consolation.

I could tell just by looking at the answer sheet. His ideas had a remarkable edge.

As if saying, this is truly talent…

Nonsense!

I shook my head vigorously and looked at the magic circle again.

I am the only sun of this era, the possessor of an incomparable talent.

So, it’s just a stroke of luck.

Because it’s an exam where I have to write the answers in a short time,

And because the goddess of wisdom gave him enlightenment first,

My answer is just inferior to his.

If I had enough time, I would have undoubtedly written a much better answer than his. No doubt.

I am my mother’s daughter.

And in that sense, I knew I would not fail in this regular exam.

I remembered the notice from the professor that I heard yesterday.

[This regular exam will be replaced by an assignment. The content of the assignment is the 8th Type 24 Formation of Mystic-Inner, ‘Bloodline Examination Magic’. You should complete the formation by next Tuesday and activate it in this classroom. Your score will be based on the completeness of the magic, and of course, if the magic does not manifest, it is disqualified.]

With a generous deadline of one week and no one at Alain Academy knowing more about Mystic-Inner than me, my victory was certain.

However, I would not let my guard down.

I took out the syringe from my pocket. Sleep hadn’t come yet, but this medication had an excellent effect on clearing my cluttered mind.

I inserted the needle into my vein and gently pressed the syringe.

Immediately, the sensation of bursting lights filled my mind. The anxieties and distressing thoughts burned away.

The stagnant mind finally began to flow again.

I smiled and placed the pen back on the paper. As I looked at the forming magic formation, I renewed my determination.

I will not disappoint my mother this time.

***

I am truly a genius of the century.

An achievement of a new record.

Only 3 hours of sleep in 6 days!

Actually, I completed the first magic formation in just 5 hours, but it didn’t seem enough to surpass Rem. His talent was somehow real, after all.

So, I discarded it and started over from the beginning!

It wasn’t just once. Even if I completed the magic formation, if the result seemed dull, I discarded it. Even in the middle of drawing, if a better idea came up, I discarded it!

A total of 37 discarded magic formations!

But failure is the mother of success!

Each time I discarded a formation, the newly drawn ones became more intricate and ingenious.

And now, the 38th magic formation I am drawing has surpassed magic and reached the realm of art.

I have only completed about half, but the design was already in my head. I just had to transfer it to the paper.

And I will reclaim my glory once again.

“Hehe…”

I chuckled and stumbled as I took unsteady steps. I found my way to my room while opening my unfocused eyes wide.

“Ah…!”

Then, I tripped over my own feet and fell.

Of course, I tried to get up as soon as I fell down. A discerning magician would never lie in the hallway.

However, I couldn’t do it.

The sedative I had postponed somehow took advantage of the opportunity and made my mind heavy.

The cool sensation of the floor felt strangely warm. Not to mention that my eyelids felt like pieces of gold.

The dream seeped into my brain like the sweetness of cream.

However, I clenched my teeth and rummaged through my belongings to find the syringe. I removed the cork stopper and aimed the needle at my forearm.

The deadline and presentation were tomorrow. I couldn’t sleep until then.

Finding a vein was not difficult. There were already countless bruises left behind. I inserted the needle and injected the medication.

“Ah…”

Immediately, an electrifying thrill spread throughout my body as I stood up and thought.

Truly, this was a blessing. With this…

My vision turns red.

“…huh?”

I raised my hand and touched my cheek. It was hot and damp, and when I removed my hand, it was covered in red.

Blood, the liquid that carries magic power, but why? Why?

It’s not just from my eyes. It’s flowing constantly from my nose, ears, and mouth. My head turns pale with the abnormal amount of bleeding.

“This is… unusual…”

And then, the world tilts.

Thud.

Blackout.

.

.

.

“Why am I like this… huh? Parsley…? Hey! Hey!!”

***

The red sunset light pierces through my eyelids.

The hazy rising ceremony, followed by memories.

The red hands and the thick spurts of blood flowing from my eyes, nose, and mouth.

“…!!”

As soon as I opened my eyes, I quickly sat up. I raised my hand and frantically touched my face. I tried to stop the bleeding as much as possible, stealing glances at the flowing blood.

“Did you wake up?”

A voice, as if mocking, strikes the head.

Slowly turning my head, I looked at the source of the voice.

Black hair and a robe one size too big.

“Rem…?”

Simultaneously, I realized that blood was no longer flowing from my face. Unable to hide my confusion, I mumbled.

“What in the world…”

Rem narrowed her eyes.

“Apologize to Vice-Captain Gidra later. It’s supposed to be a day off, but you made him come because of you.”

It was only then that I realized I was in the infirmary. My robe and Rem’s were soaked in blood as well.

My genius brain quickly grasped the situation.

Rem found me unconscious in the corridor, brought me to the infirmary, and has been by my side until I woke up.

“…”

I lowered my head in acute embarrassment.

The genius of the century, receiving help from an adversary not once but twice! And without offering any gratitude!

This wasn’t just my humiliation, but the disgrace of my family.

I opened my mouth to express gratitude.

“Thank yo—”

“Are you an idiot?”

…I was speechless at the unexpected insult.

I looked at Rem with astonished eyes. Too bewildered to even muster anger. Instead, I seemed more annoyed.

He contorted his face and muttered softly.

[Andh]

Then, the syringe on the table floated in front of him. A blue liquid, not yet injected, remained.

“Inject this into your veins? Do you even know what this is?”

“…Yes, it’s the Melania solution. I just used it to wake up a bit.”

“You used this to wake up? Are you really an idiot?”

Another outburst. But perhaps due to being shocked once already, this time, irritation replaced surprise.

Calling this genius an idiot.

To logically counter his words, I opened my mouth.

“I know that Melania’s solution is toxic. However, in quantities below a certain threshold, it’s not fatally harmful, and there’s a separate antidote…”

“So, were you lying in the hallway covered in blood?”

I was at a loss for words.

But not for long.

“I just got a little tired and miscalculated the dosage. Incidents like this won’t happen again…”

“So, I’m the fool who tried to have a conversation. [Shup]”

Without a chance to put up a defense, I was pushed onto the bed by magic. I tried to get up, but he was faster.

[Ragtyti]

A subtle pressure weighed down on my chest. It was a pressure that my exhausted body couldn’t resist.

“Hey!! What the hell is this!!”

“Shut up and grow up, Devi. I won’t lift the spell until you’ve had a good night’s sleep.”

I was so stunned that I couldn’t utter a word. However, whether I was visible or not, Rem lifted a book with telekinesis.

He was really determined not to lift the magic until I fell asleep.

I tried to undo the magic, but it was impossible.

First, it had been quite a while since I lay down on the bed, and my consciousness was gradually being sucked into sleep.

Second, Rem’s gravity magic was of a higher level than I had imagined. It was as if he had cast this spell thousands of times before.

And, being a sage, he wasn’t someone foolish enough to bang his head against the wall knowing it wouldn’t work.

I quickly changed my strategy.

Struggling to lift my heavy eyelids, I said,

“I was wrong. Please, let me go…”

Rem’s eyes finally turned towards me. I spoke with a voice that was slowly succumbing to sleep.

“I haven’t finished writing the magic circle I have to submit tomorrow… I’ll use Melania’s solution just one more time, and I’ll use it less than usual from now on… One a day should be enough, right…?”

It was my own compromise. It was a proposal where I bent my pride a lot, really, really, a lot.

If he were a rational person, there was no way he wouldn’t accept it.

“Do you realize you almost died just now, and you’re saying that?”

…However, it seemed that Rem was not as rational as I had thought.

With a furrowed brow, he rubbed his temples.

“Spilling blood and still using Melania’s solution… Something used for the euthanasia of old people… sigh…”

He sighed and looked at me, chin resting on his hand.

“Tell me the reason. Why are you going to such lengths?”

“…To defeat you, and to be the top scorer…”

“So, why do you have to be the top scorer? Even going so far as to take the medicine used to kill people.”

That was a question I hadn’t heard in a long time. It meant that I had already answered it countless times and the answer had become solidified.

Without realizing it, I answered.

“…Because I want to become a Mastapju.”

Perhaps because my consciousness was gradually slipping away, the words flowed out of my mouth on their own.

“…Until now, it’s unheard of for a mother and daughter to become consecutive Mastapjus… If I were to apply for Mastapju… There would be noise… So, I need to accumulate as much achievements as possible… Being the top scorer… is the first step…”

Ah, this won’t do. I can’t even complete a sentence anymore. I raised my hand with great effort.

“So… release the magic…”

“Why do you have to become a Mastapju?”

I narrowed my eyes.

Why is he asking such an obvious question?

“Well… because I will become a great… Mastapju… and have a name in this world… more glorious than anyone…”

So that I can become a proud daughter to my mother.

So that my always busy mother can smile at me.

So that my mother won’t belittle me anymore.

So that my mother can love me.

But I couldn’t say any of this about my mother, and I stopped talking. It was because sleep had finally taken over my tongue completely.

I felt my eyelids finally give in and come down. I struggled to focus my last ounce of strength and stared at Lel.

I had answered everything, so now release the magic.

But Lel just looked at me with a bewildered expression.

As if he had heard something unexpected.

In the end, I fainted helplessly.