I Will Carry as an Academy Veteran

26

When Melwood Elian fell, a scene unfolded where everyone who had been standing there collapsed without any reserve.

Since I also had no strength to stand any longer, I sat on the soft grass and gazed up at the sky.

As I looked at the blue sky, something suddenly came to mind.

How was the ending of Act 1 in the original work?

A romantic boss raid that starts with the line “Surrender now.”

A hellish difficulty that forces newbies to quit.

The tearful victory of those who ultimately break through it, the Lumens Rebirth who impress players by acting as knights of light, and episodes that were moving both externally and internally.

Yes, even I couldn’t help but applaud like a seal.

At least, it wasn’t like now, fighting alone with a dagger against bosses in a showdown of souls.

Never.

Hmm.

Is this really okay?

It feels like something has changed drastically from the original I know. The big framework seems unchanged, so it feels quite strange.

There are too many changes to go into detail about each one.

However, if there are changes, then there must be things that remain unchanged as well.

“Sigh… It’s really over. We really did it. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t us, it was all Adrian’s doing…”

Lying next to me, Reyna stretched her arms up and spoke, and I nodded my head slightly as I replied.

“In the end, it was because you guys were here that we could do it. You can be proud. And, if it wasn’t for your support in the end, I wouldn’t have been able to endure it either.”

I smiled lightly and called out each name.

“Kalen, well done. Your use of the elemental sword was very smooth. I want to praise your dancing more, but let’s save that for the room.”

“Oh, uh! Ah, yes…!”

“Senior Lumen, you were also amazing. If it weren’t for the splendor sword of the senior, we might not have come this far.”

“It’s too much praise. By the way, ‘promises’ must be kept.”

Gee, don’t you trust my loyalty?

I lightly nodded at her words and thought of the next person to speak to.

“….”

I moved on to the next one right away.

“Kelly.”

“….”

“I was deeply impressed by your water elemental magic deployment. Especially for assisting in healing when the weakened Evnis fell, I apologize.”

Oh, there’s a strong aura coming from beside me.

As I was about to continue, Kelly, who had been staring at me, spoke up.

“I don’t trust you. No, I can’t trust you knowing everything you’ve done so far.”

Yeah.

That’s right.

That’s my general perception at the academy.

“However… I thought it would be okay to watch this time. Please don’t cause trouble for the young lady.”

“Understood.”

She closed her mouth again, and Reyna shook her shoulders, saying, “Kelly! Why are you saying such things?”

The master-servant relationship seemed strong, so I nodded as well.

“Relvrian, well done.”

“hahahaha, it’s nothing. I just helped a friend. Anyway, I was disappointed I couldn’t shine due to lack of opportunities.”

“There will be another chance soon.”

“Can I count on you to be there then? Of course, with Reyna.”

Saying so, Relvrian glanced at Reyna out of the corner of his eye, and Reyna either felt embarrassed or completely covered her eyes with both hands.

“Whenever you’re ready, Relvrian, you’re welcome.”

“Thank you. Well, I have something to attend to, so I’ll go first. It was an interesting experience. See you in basic swordsmanship class.”

“Alright.”

Brushing off the dirt from his clothes, Relvrian walked towards the department of magic.

“I’ll go as well, Miss Reyna.”

Following suit, Kelly also trailed behind Relvrian.

“Mileige, how are you feeling?”

“…”

“Mileige?”

Seeing no response, I noticed Mileige was staring blankly at the spot where the battle had just taken place.

Seems like she’s in a state where she can’t even hear my call.

At times like this, it’s best to just leave her be.

And then, I saw the guy I had skipped earlier.

He was standing with his arms crossed, half turned away, in a pose that seemed to say, ‘Yes? I’m not interested, you know?’ His ears were perked towards this direction.

Quite the dishonest fellow.

“Ebnis.”

“Hmph, was wondering when you’d call. Hurry up and thank me.”

“No need for thanks. It was foolish to faint from acting recklessly. I even had to save you during battle.”

“I’ll kill you. [Sacred Sword: Destruction]… Oops.”

He suddenly stood up, summoned a large battle axe of light in his hand, then staggered with his hand on his forehead.

Tsk.

I took out a bottle of blue liquid from my pocket and tossed it to him.

“You foolish guy. Rather than killing someone else, focus on your own magic first. It’s a magic recovery potion. Drink it, sit down, and rest.”

“Ughhh….”

Taking the magic potion, Ebnis grimaced, gulped it down in one go.

“Th-thank you…”

“No need for thanks.”

“Who said I was going to!?”

And the last one… that guy.

I saw a black-haired guy across from me, sitting with a sulky expression.

“Erhan.”

“Yes, Senior!”

“Do you understand my intention?”

“Is that your final words? Ah, that’s… I just hit him because I wanted to. I did a bad thing, but since he’s our senior, I didn’t think it was right to just ignore it.”

Is that so.

In the original Act 1 ending, Erhan knocks out Melwood by hitting him from behind in a cutscene.

Many things have changed, but the ending remains unchanged.

Is this how it turned out?

“Well done. And thank you for your help.”

“No! I thought it was something I had to do. And…”

Erhan hesitated for a moment, then looked at me and said firmly.

“I was deeply impressed by your senior’s appearance. I will strive to become a person like you, Senior.”

“Okay.”

I could feel the sincerity in his voice.

Well, it’s common for newcomers to admire veterans.

“I’ll take my leave now! I just remembered I have an appointment today! I’ll see you next time, Seniors!”

With a bow, he dashed vigorously towards the Department of Knight Studies.

Still, it’s fortunate that Erhan left a good impression.

“What a peculiar junior. So, Adrian, what do you think we should do?”

Kalene pointed to the fallen Melwood.

“Senior Melwood will be referred to the Student Council’s Disciplinary Committee. Not only for attacking us, but also because there is evidence accumulated against him.”

It was Lume who answered instead of me.

That’s right.

Referral to the Disciplinary Committee.

And in the original, Melwood receives the punishment of expulsion from the Student Council…

He exits from this world.

Expulsion.

As I mentioned before, I have never seen a character who disappeared into the background of the story reappear.

It would be such a waste to lose a talent like Melwood, the senior of the 4th year in the Department of Magic.

“Lume, Senior.”

“Speak.”

“If things continue like this, will Melwood Elian be expelled?”

“Most likely.”

I looked at the fallen figure once, then stood up and picked up the spellbook.

The spellbook that had been steeped in deep darkness had now simply turned into an old, worn-out book.

“Senior, as you know, this spellbook contained the thoughts of demons… in other words, the spirits of darkness.”

“…So?”

“The spirit of darkness corroded Melwood’s mind, and in the end, even took his body. Senior, who possesses the magic power of ‘light,’ must have vaguely noticed.”

“Adrian, you couldn’t possibly…”

I closed the spellbook and handed it to her.

“Even the incident with the monsters was a result of being captivated by the spirit of darkness. It wasn’t intentional. Is there no room for understanding?”

“…”

“Senior, do you know where Melwood Elion hoped to go after graduation? It was the Royal Mage Corps.”

“…”

She probably knows somewhat.

From the long-standing corruption of the Royal Mage Corps to the fierce power struggles.

I continued speaking to the silent Lumen, who bowed her head.

“As a result… the second son, Duke Alberto, passed the exam, while the top student failed. That’s why this happened, and our minds were exhausted. Caught by the ambitions of the demons, we were eventually manipulated.”

She remained silent.

“Must someone like him be expelled so insignificantly?”

“…”

“I don’t think so.”

Saying that, I picked up the fallen glasses from the floor.

Although the lens was shattered, the frame remained sturdy and undamaged.

I stood before Melwood Elion.

“I know everything, Senior Melwood.”

“…Ahahahaha.”

Melwood Elion scratched the back of her head, then looked up at me.

“I heard everything. Since you offered a way out… you must have a request as well, right?”

“Indeed.”

I brushed off the dirt on the glasses and handed them to her.

“It’s simple. Just become my ally.”

In the original, he was merely a boss monster, but it’s an undeniable fact that Melwood Elion is the top talent in the Selenium School of Magic.

So if I make her my ally in advance, she will undoubtedly be useful.

“What?”

“Wait! Adrian, that’s…”

“Then Senior Lumen will surely defend the senior in the Disciplinary Committee.”

I looked at Lumen, and she nodded.

Calling demons into the dormitory and attacking us was not Melwood Elion’s doing, but the work of a dark spirit. There’s room for mercy, so while it might not be a disciplinary action, she might avoid expulsion.

I extended my hand to him, who blankly stared at the broken glasses on my hand.

“The choice is up to you.”

***

“…Until we meet again.”

Melwood made a decision without hesitation, and Lumen took him to the student council.

Well, she should be able to solve this issue easily.

As the representative of the Knight Department, she has a say in matters.

At this point, we have no choice but to trust her.

Thus, Melwood Elion, the boss of Act 1 and the top student of the 4th year in the School of Magic, is now ‘one of us.’

Of course, this alone would have been sufficient gain, but something even more remarkable was happening.

“You… aren’t dead?”

[Tsk, don’t think I died just like this, Repelheight! I will definitely kill you!]

“Nero!”

[Ah, no, Unni! I will never kill!]

A black mass in the shape of a cat was perched on Milije’s shoulder.

A slime-like monstrous being giving off a cat-like vibe.

“…Milije, did you make a contract with a shadow spirit?”

“Oh, Senpai, it’s more like I became its owner unilaterally. I can use Nero’s power without any cost. It happened when I wielded that dagger.”

Hmm.

Indeed, the dagger that was stuck in the grimoire earlier was nowhere to be found.

So.

To sum it up, Milije went to retrieve the dagger I had stuck in the grimoire, feeling something peculiar about it.

The demon’s spirit, rather than succumbing, lingered in the dagger until it encountered its natural enemy.

Then, it ended up forcibly forming a contract with Milije.

The higher the spirit sensitivity, the more advantageous one can be in a contract with the spirit.

But can a human handle the demon’s spirit?

However, it seems they can handle it, and since it’s by their own will, I have no need to intervene.

Handling a shadow spirit as a human is quite unprecedented.

“Anyway… congratulations. It’s your first spirit.”

“Yes! Nero! Come here!”

[Yes, yes…]

With a half-crying expression, the shadow spirit turned into a black cat and nestled in Milije’s arms.

“hehehehe….”

Milije, embracing the black cat, smiled like a child.

…Anyway, it’s a gain if our power is enhanced.

Yes.

As long as you’re happy.

***

“I’m going to report to the family. Adrian, see you tomorrow. We might all be summoned to the student council if things go well. Oh, Milije. I have something to ask for your help, would you come with me?”

“Oh, sure, Senpai. See you next time!”

The student council.

The disciplinary committee, and now this, things are getting quite serious.

Leaving a message of ‘see you next time,’ Reyna disappeared with Milije.

“Ugh… I’ll go practice then.”

Kalen, stretching, also left.

So, the person standing next to me heading towards the dormitory is.

“…Straighten your face. That demeanor doesn’t suit a Repelheit.”

“Ugh… You’re not a Repelheit anymore.”

With those words, she let out a light sigh and then looked up at me.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Adrian….”

She hesitated, then spoke.

“What was that movement all about? You’re from the Department of Magic, right?”

“Were you not sleeping?”

“Thanks to Kelly-senpai’s preparation beforehand, I wasn’t affected by that powder. So… “

“I saw everything.”

Is that why you’re standing there so defiantly?

I really don’t like it.

“And I don’t even know what the demon’s intention is, why, how, even though I’m definitely stronger than you, I don’t understand why the demon’s intention treats me like a pushover… I can’t follow what you’re saying at all…”

“Evnis.”

“I, I really don’t know anything. That’s right, that’s possible. I’m only 17 now. But… “

“A gorilla with the strength of 20.”

“What. Why do you keep calling me twice like that?”

“Follow me. It seems the time is about right.”

At my words, he let out a deep sigh and nodded his head.

…I somehow didn’t like that sight.

Tsk.

To be so mentally weak like this.

“Adrian, are you not going to tell me where we’re going?”

“Don’t ask questions, just follow me. I’ll show you something.”