I Will Carry as an Academy Veteran

17

“Wh-what do you mean by needing me by your side…?”

Millyzhe’s face turned incredibly red.

Hmm.

Come to think of it, I have a grand goal of defeating that damn powerhouse of a stepsister with a Strength of 20 and becoming the successor.

However, at present, I lack the strength to defeat that guy, have no justification, legitimacy, or faction.

Yes.

Faction.

The important thing is that my party and fins will become my tribe, and that is my main support.

Reyna and Kalen are both part of my tribe, but it doesn’t quite feel like they are completely ‘on my side.’

They readily agree to simple requests, but when it comes to more challenging tasks together, they seem to have a friendly relationship where they might say, ‘Oh, sorry, that’s a bit too much.’

If Reyna were to hear, ‘Adrian was thinking like that, it’s upsetting!’ she might puff up her cheeks and feel disappointed, but it can’t be helped.

Even if Reyna is on my side, her family is not.

In that sense.

This ‘Milizé Halo’ is the best guy to recruit as my first ally.

First, the fact that he exits the main story.

Behind his ordinary appearance lies a tremendous talent.

Yet, he doesn’t realize his own talent, and is currently trapped in trauma, unable to use magic.

In other words, it’s the perfect state to take advantage of.

I’ll use what I can, and I’ll definitely make use of it.

Even if I have to play the villain toying with a girl’s heart, it can’t be helped.

Now is not the time to hold back.

“Milizé, are you okay? Your face is a bit red.”

“Oh, me? Yes? Yes?!”

He suddenly straightened up with a military salute.

“I-I’m fine! B-but why are you asking me…?”

“If a junior is struggling, isn’t it the senior’s duty to help?”

“…”

“Salerium is not a place so harsh that you can’t even do that much.”

Well, that’s how it was.

Even if she will be a great help to me in the future.

Despite the agony of hitting a dead end with a bad ending looming, Salerium in my memory was always a joyful place.

Even if the save file gets corrupted, even if the episode goes awry.

Even if I end up doing manual labor to earn money after failing at the start, or even if I can’t afford food and fill my stomach with tap water.

I have never once given up or deleted a file.

No matter how tangled things get, I’ve seen the ending, and even if I end up on a bad ending route, I’ve always tried to find a way back to a normal ending somehow.

A passing character’s encouragement to keep going, occasional gifts from comrades embarking on adventures together, the support of a reliable senior.

Although they were nothing but mere fragments of data, to me, they were all living beings and a driving force to enjoy the Salerium saga.

That’s why.

I don’t want to send off someone who doesn’t yet know that joy.

If there wasn’t a senior or a companion, a passing person for you, this time, I will be that person for you.

But before that, there is something that must be addressed.

“…Milizé, how did your classmates react when they found out you couldn’t use magic?”

“Ah…”

His face darkened in an instant.

“T-They were all the same. They all looked down on me, saying there’s that stupid kid who can’t even use magic… calling me trash behind my back…”

It’s understandable, her willpower is barely a ‘5.’

It’s a figure that can’t avoid mental trauma from that incident.

It seems like you’re someone who doesn’t want to cause trouble to others.

It wasn’t intentional, but a major accident occurred, and many students were injured as a result.

Not only was magic no longer usable, but if even classmates spread rumors like that, it’s natural for self-esteem and pride to plummet.

Milige’s voice began to tremble as she choked up.

I stared intently at Milige before speaking.

“Milige, are you angry?”

“……”

“All those words that come your way must make you angry and sad, making you want to leave because you can’t refute them. Feeling like such a worthless worm as others see you. Have you judged that running away from them is the only solution?”

“……”

I continued speaking to the silent Milige.

“How pathetic. If that’s your true nature, I’ll look for someone else.”

“……No, that’s not it.”

Milige, who had just been blushing, gradually turned serious.

“In truth… I don’t want to give up. I want to try. Even though such an ugly incident happened… still, I… came to Salenium because I love magic. But in my current state…”

“So, that’s your true nature.”

Looking into Milige’s eyes.

“If a wizard can’t use magic. The solution is simple.”

Facing the figure standing on the hill, I reached out my hand and said.

“Simply make it possible to use magic again.”

“What?”

“Follow me. I will fix you.”

I will fix you.

Milige stared blankly at my outstretched hand for a while, then spoke with a trembling voice.

“Am I… Am I able to… trust you, senior?”

“You can trust me.”

“Senior… Do you… believe that I can use magic again?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

After a moment of silence at my words, Milige, with a slightly reddened face, said.

“In reality, my heart is telling me not to believe. It’s the whisper of the devil… saying you are being deceived. If you accept this proposal, you won’t be able to escape.”

But, with that said, the figure looked at me and then smiled gently.

“If it’s you, senior, it’s okay to be deceived once.”

“I do not lie.”

“It’s not in that sense, but anyway…”

Saying that, Milige, who was carrying a huge backpack, grabbed my hand…

“S-Senior?”

Ah.

As soon as I took the figure’s hand, I collapsed like a promotional balloon caught in a strong gust, unable to bear the weight.

“Are… are you okay?”

“I’m… I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“Even if you say that with your face buried in the ground… huff. Senior, you are truly a good person.”

Millige smiled brightly, tears pooling in his eyes.

* * *

“Well then, see you this weekend!”

For now, Millige decided to withdraw his dropout application and headed towards Central District.

Once he is recruited into the party, there is no doubt that he will become an immensely valuable presence.

With such immense talent potential, if I gather the best equipment from head to toe, how much performance, no, how much of a monster will be born, the gods have already smiled upon me.

Of course, if the trauma is not resolved, there won’t be any party or anything.

And to resolve the trauma, there is something that must be done first.

“For now, this must be done.”

I glanced down at the worn diary in my hand for a moment.

An item from the ghost quest I carried out at the library.

If I take this diary back to the time when the ghost appears and deliver it to him, he will whisper a location to me.

Then, by digging the ground at that location, a mage will come out like a magic book.

…And.

Like all quests.

“This also has a flaw.”

Since it is not a quest given and received directly in the original, this also had a bug.

‘There is no rule that says you must purify him first before receiving it.’

So, if I already know the location of the mage by bringing him this diary and purifying him, there is no need to purify him first.

Of course, just going and digging the ground without purifying the mage won’t make the mage appear asleep.

In the original game system, the ‘mage’ is generated in the ground when I pick up the ‘diary’.

So, just going and digging the ground without the diary will result in nothing, but going with the diary and digging the ground will fulfill all triggers, creating the mage.

Whether this formula will apply in this world that has become reality, I do not know.

Veterans are always people who challenge, aren’t they?

I moved my steps to the location of the mage I knew.

“Is this the place.”

A spot with an X drawn on a branch.

A time capsule with a note saying ‘If you could open it in 10 years.’

Of course, the ghost who owned this time capsule is already dead, and the mage he left behind to reminisce about the past is now mine.

I placed the diary next to it and cautiously dug the ground with a shovel.

“Hmm.”

Before long, with a feeling of something catching, an iron box appeared.

There it is.

Upon opening the box, a shabby book with a red cover was revealed.

[Acquisition Mage Book: Lesser Fire Elemental Magic – Fireball]

When you unfold the book, you can acquire Lesser Fire Elemental Magic – Fireball.

Emotion: This item cannot be sensed.

Without a doubt.

I immediately unfolded the book.

“Is it working?”

The book emitted a bright light and the pages started turning on their own.

Shalalalalak─.

A message appeared in front of me.

[Skill, 【Low-Level Fire Element Magic: Fireball】, acquired.]

[From now on, you can use the skill immediately by recalling it in your mind.]

[You can check the acquired skills in the magic details section under ‘Character Information.’]

Alright.

Now I have two types of magic I can use.

【Fireball】and 【Wind Blade】.

Here’s an interesting fact.

In the Salenium Saga, there is something called the ‘Elemental Synergy System.’

When you can use magic of different elemental properties like this, you can combine and use these two magics together.

Like the male student who tried to use water and ice simultaneously against Professor Walnut’s barrier.

Using Fireball… and adding ‘Wind Blade’ here.

The reason why I must acquire 【Fireball】becomes clear.

[Two magics that can be synergized!]

[Automatically combined!]

Kwaaa─!

As the concentrated wind combined with the fire orb floating above my finger, it spread out in all directions.

The blades of wind, spreading out to illuminate the darkness, were enhanced with flames.

If I had chosen a different low-level elemental magic, I wouldn’t have been able to hope for such a synergy effect.

“Perfect.”

I can learn other magics after Act 1, I suppose.

This should be enough to deal with Melwood.

I raised the shovel, turned my head. In the distance, the grand Salenium Academy Castle boasting its magnificence came into view.

“Now, the only thing left is….”

* * *

Two days later.

“Hello, sen…ior!”

“So, you’ve officially withdrawn your resignation.”

In a school uniform, Milige stood in front of me, nervously twisting her hair.

“Well, let’s first diagnose the symptoms. You can’t currently activate ‘magic,’ right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

In other words, she couldn’t use magic.

Well, that’s great news.

“Milige, do you know where we are?”

“Um, the forest? The entrance to the forest?”

“Exactly. This is the ‘Western Forest.’ It’s an exploration field.”

Even if the game had become reality, the original Salenium Saga was still fundamentally a ‘game.’

So, naturally, there is a hunting ground where you catch monsters and grow, in other words, a field.

To the south lies the desert, to the west the forest, to the east the jungle, and to the north, the tundra.

In addition, there are places like the ‘Resting Place of the Dead’ or the ‘Volcanic Zone.’

Roughly, this ecosystem covers all directions around the Salenium Academy.

The place I have arrived at now is the western forest.

So, it’s more or less a beginner’s zone.

Right now, nothing is visible, but if you go a bit further in, creatures like rabbits or raccoons will start darting around.

The reason I came here is simple.

“Here, take this.”

“This is…?”

A robe, a lightweight dagger, and two basic potions.

Milije took them, gazing at them in amazement, then as I instructed, she strapped the dagger to her belt and tucked the potions into her bosom.

“Then let’s set off.”

“Yes!”

Now.

With excitement, our adventure begins.