NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 45
Once Luize’s public challenge became the top trending post on Tower, it didn’t even take a full day before Tower was overrun with posts about it.
Anonymous 24: Who’s Luize Valente???
└Anonymous 31: I asked a sunbae and apparently she lost in a duel against Gerwin Kruger six months ago.
└Anonymous 35: She was also the top second-year student of the Department of Elements. I think she’s been on a leave of absence because of serious injuries from that duel.
└Anonymous 24: And she’s challenging him again? damn... .
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Anonymous 25: She overcame mana impairment? lol how did this nonsense become a trending post?
└Anonymous 26: Seriously. Where are the mods? There’s no way she wrote this herself. Is someone impersonating her?
└Anonymous 28: Her student id is below. She wrote this herself.
└Anonymous 43: If she actually recovered, it might become a huge deal... .
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Anonymous 26: Seems like she doesn't want to work as a hero later lmao
└Anonymous 31: fr
└Anonymous 33: Is she just yapping because she’s about to be expelled?
Even if he was the twenty-fifth son, Gerwin was still a member of the family that owned the UD Group and was led by a Perfect One. And his background aside, he himself was the top-ranking third-year student of the Department of Operation Commands and was sponsored by the Ivory Tower.
In some ways, he was more recognizable and influential than even the three yearly honor students of each college.
As such, it was unthinkable that a student of Babel Academy would challenge Gerwin. So when Luize did that very unthinkable thing, everyone naturally became interested and began to reassess the duel from six months ago.
In the end, the entire academy was abuzz over the duel scheduled for a week later.
“You crazy bastard!!!”
Meanwhile, Luize, the person of interest, was currently grabbing Se-Hoon by the collar and shaking him.
“You said that it wasn’t something to worry about!!!”
“It isn’t. It’s not like I made a murder threat.”
“Do you even hear yourself?!”
Seeing Se-Hoon talk calmly without even blinking, she couldn’t help but feel sick to her stomach.
When he said the next step of the training was about overcoming her trauma, she thought it was related to her throat injury. But to her shock, Se-Hoon had sent a challenge letter out of nowhere. The unexpected situation left her more than just perplexed; she suspected him as well.
Was this bastard aiming for this from the start?
No matter how proficient she had become at Incantation Magic, she was still at a beginner’s level. Plus, since he had been focused solely on her rehabilitation, all of her skills had deteriorated over the last six months.
There was no way Se-Hoon didn’t know that, so it didn’t make sense that he believed that she could face Gerwin, who had likely grown stronger over the past half year. It had to be a scheme to deal with her.
No... it can’t be... but...
Seeing the complicated face Luize made upon realizing that she was stuck in an incomprehensible situation, Se-Hoon decided to explain.
“Calm down. Do you think I would have done this without any thought?”
“...Sigh.”
With a deep sigh, she straightened Se-Hoon’s collar, which she had wrinkled, and then sat down heavily on a chair.
“Right. You would have put some thought behind it, of course...”
Though the scale of his plan was overwhelming, she realized that he had always been like this, ever since he taught her the basics of Incantation Magic.
Half-resigned, she looked at him and asked, “So, what’s the plan?”
“Like I mentioned before, Incantation Magic is more about the caster’s will than precise calculations. It’s instinctive magic, and that means the unconscious part of the mind has a large influence over it. Now, what do you think that means?”
“That it’s sensitive to the caster’s state of mind?”
“Exactly.”
When creating flames with Incantation Magic, a mage who was familiar with fire would be able to produce stronger and more varied flames.
On the flip side, if the mage had trauma related to fire, then not only would they have a difficult time controlling the magic, but it might not even manifest at all. Their trauma would have caused them to imbue their desire to avoid fire into the magic unconsciously.
“You might not want to admit it, but the incident six months ago made you scared of using magic. That’s probably why the sphere incantation from yesterday was only half successful.”
“That... might really be the case.”
“Fortunately, your desire to use magic is stronger, but as things stand right now, there are too many things holding you back. To put it simply... it’s like you’re running on two legs instead of your original four.”
“Your analogies are really something...”
“What I mean is that you have real talent.”
Though learning Incantation Magic had allowed her to wake up from the nightmare of being unable to use magic, she wasn’t able to shake off the emotional shock and psychological anxiety so easily.
Just like how scars remained even after wounds healed, the remnants of traumatic memories from the accident still deeply lingered in her subconscious.
Besides, if she’s left as is, someone might take advantage of her.
Before the regression, she had allowed herself to be illegally experimented on by an organization called Dawn because they claimed that they could treat her mana impairment.
But in the end, they remodeled her entire mana circuit and implanted a device called a collar, which allowed them to constantly stimulate her trauma by using the corroded mana that had taken root in her body.
Like with the mana corrosion device, I don’t know what methods they might use. I have to make sure to deal with them this time.
While the best treatment for Luize right now would be to completely remove the corroded mana and prevent that future from occurring again, it could worsen her mana impairment in her current condition. As such, overcoming her trauma was the best solution for now.
“This duel is absolutely necessary if you want to overcome your trauma. It’ll be tough, but please bear with it.”
She sighed deeply at his sincere words.
“Fine. I did say I’d do anything.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
“But what if I lose? Won’t my trauma get worse? You should have been more careful with such an important matter...”
Seeing her muttering with a discontented expression, Se-Hoon burst into laughter.
“You’re really funny, you know.”
“What?”
“You couldn’t possibly lose to someone like him.”
Whether he was the twenty-fifth son of Wurgen Kruger or whatever, the amount of talent Luize had wasn’t something to be regarded so lightly. With it, there was no way she would lose to a nobody he had never heard of before the regression.
Hearing his confident words, she looked blankly at him for a moment before she smirked.
“That’s so cringe.”
“Whatever. Let’s stop wasting time and start preparing for the duel. I said that you would win, but I didn’t say we had enough time to be relaxed.”
“Alright, alright. So? What are we doing today? Since it’s a duel, are we going to practice using combat-related Incantation Magic?” Her voice was cheerful, with no signs of ever having been upset.
Hearing her, Se-Hoon pulled out the sanitary gloves he had brought in advance and said, “Examination.”
“...Huh?”
At her puzzled look, he pulled the gloves on firmly and answered again.
“Oral examination.”
***
In the second hospital ward of Askus, passersby in the corridor stopped with surprised expressions on their faces upon seeing the black-haired girl striding by them calmly.
Ignoring the stares, Erika, whom people had only heard of through rumors, continued walking without blinking an eye. The sight of her caused the people nearby to break out in whispers.
“That’s Erika, right? The freshman honor student of Ur.”
“It seems like her. What’s she doing here? She doesn’t look injured.”
“Oh, I know. Lee Se-Hoon, the freshman honor student of Borsippa, is hospitalized here. She must have come to see him.”
“Then, the rumors before were...”
Regardless of whether it was their stares or their interest-filled whispers, which Erika was able to easily hear with her keen senses, she still moved on without caring.
Right now, her top priority was checking on Se-Hoon’s condition. She didn’t have the leisure to react to every trivial rumor.
I have to make sure he’s not seriously injured.
Her thoughts went back to the demonstration Se-Hoon had done at the auction with the Radiant Long Sword, and she remembered the technique, one that was akin to pseudo-Sword Aura, to sharpen the blade. Such a technique definitely required a delicate sense of precision.
So, if his injury caused him to lose that sense, it would be a huge loss not only for the blacksmithing industry but also for Erika.
If that’s really the case... I won’t let this go easily.
She imagined Jake, who always broke out in cold sweat whenever their eyes met. Her expression grew colder and colder at the thought.
“Hey!!!”
A shout suddenly pierced through a room’s door.
The door had soundproofing thick enough that screams couldn’t even be heard as whispers, but the shout just now was loud enough to easily pass through. Naturally, Erika’s gaze was drawn to the plate beside that door—Room 204: Luize Valente.
Confirming that she had found the room she was looking for, Erika immediately opened the door and entered.
Inside, she saw a silver-haired girl sitting on a chair and a black-haired young man standing in front of her. Though their proximity wasn’t particularly strange, what they were doing was.
“My ears are going to fall off, seriously,” Se-Hoon said, frowning.
He was probing every corner of Luize’s mouth with his right hand; it was as if he had never been injured.
“You peece of shee,” Luize barely managed to say, her mouth wide open. She was trembling with shame and anger in her eyes.
“...”
Dumbfounded by the scene she couldn’t comprehend, Erika simply froze at the door. It was only then that the two noticed her presence.
“Huh? What are you doing here?”
“Whoa! Wh-what?! Who are you!!”
Seeing the completely contrasting responses—Se-Hoon simply looking puzzled and Luize panicking with her face turning red—Erika quickly regained her composure and calmly stated her business.
“Jake said he had an urgent matter, so he entrusted me with something to deliver.”
“Really? He told me he didn’t have much to do today...”
“It just became like that,” Erika firmly stated.
Catching on quickly, Se-Hoon gave a wry smile.
“Alright, alright. So, what were you entrusted with?”
“Here.”
Receiving the small case that came out of her void pocket, Se-Hoon immediately unlocked it and looked at what was inside.
Contained within was a silver metal ingot with a small flame sealed inside its transparent core. Looking at it from beside Se-Hoon, Luize puzzly asked, “What’s that? Isn’t that projection alloy?”
“Yes.”
It was the special metal he had used for the self-introduction session during the first week of school. He took the projection alloy out of the case and inspected its condition.
[Projection Alloy]
[Tier: Advanced] [Quality: Perfect]
[A piece of alloy with extremely enhanced mana sensitivity.
It can transform its shape according to the infused mana, bypassing the processes of smelting, smithing, and polishing.
Attempting to reprocess it after its transformation significantly reduces its durability.
*Mana can be infused to transform its shape]
“Looks like he sent one of superb quality.”
Normally, projection alloy wasn’t suitable for forging proper equipment, but with a high-quality one, it was definitely usable.
He was about to express his satisfaction with Jake’s work, but before he could, Erika spoke.
“I obtained it,” Erika stated in a firm voice.
“...Really?”
“Yes. It wasn’t Jake; it was me.”
She spoke adamantly, not letting any misunderstandings arise. Noticing what she wanted, he nodded in agreement.
“Hm. Good job.”
“...”
“Next time something like this comes up, I’ll ask you first. Is that okay?”
“Anytime.” She finally nodded in satisfaction after hearing the consecutive affirmations. Se-Hoon chuckled, seeing her easily readable face.
“Hey.” Luize, at his side, tapped his arm, interrupting his conversation with Erika.
“So, what are we going to do with that? Explain it to me quickly.”
“Alright, there’s no need to rush this much... ah, you can go back now. Thanks for your help.”
“...”
Instead of leaving, Erika, who had been intently looking at both the projection alloy and the two, slowly opened her mouth.
“Are you going to forge equipment now?”
“Well, yes?”
“Then I want to watch.”
“Huh? That’s―”
“What do you mean?” Luize irritably cut him off before he could respond.
She glared at Erika with a furrowed brow, looking annoyed.
“If you’re done with your business, leave. Don’t disturb us.”
“...”
“Did you not hear me? Get out of my room.”
Erika quietly listened to her irritation-filled demand, and then, blatantly ignoring it, turned her attention back to Se-Hoon.
“I want to watch.”
Seeing Erika ignore her and treat her as if invisible, Luize gnashed on her teeth, her frustration becoming visible.
Grind-
In an instant, the atmosphere in the room chilled as the air and the swirling mana responded to the tension between them.
Se-Hoon looked on disapprovingly at the trivial quarrel.
“You guys are fighting over something so minor.... You may stay and watch if you’re curious.”
“Okay.”
“Hey!” Luize shouted fiercely in protest, but Se-Hoon approached without blinking an eye.
“Come on. We’re wasting time right now. Open your mouth quickly.”
“Ugh...”
Glaring in protest at Se-Hoon, who was flicking his fingers, Luize eventually sighed and opened her mouth again.
Having changed into a new pair of sanitary gloves, he once again inserted his fingers into her mouth and carefully examined the inside with slow strokes.
“To continue my explanation, weapons like wands or staves are not suited for you. The casting time for your magic is much shorter than typical magic.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Erika asked, inquiring on behalf of Luize, who couldn’t speak during the examination.
Calmly, Se-Hoon explained, “To use a weapon properly, you need to infuse it with refined mana and use it as if it’s a part of your body. But she’s only able to refine mana in her mouth.”
“So it’s a matter of which part of the body one uses to wield the weapon.”
“Exactly. She could hold a weapon in her mouth to infuse it with refined mana, but then she wouldn’t be able to cast spells.”
Ultimately, those who used Incantation Magic needed either objects that enhanced their physical abilities or custom weapons that were tailored to their form.
“So since that’s the case, this oral examination is part of the process to create a custom weapon for you. Do you understand now?”
“...”
Truthfully, Luize couldn’t understand how the act of him feeling around the interior of her mouth was related to making a custom weapon, but she nodded slightly anyway, assuming it made sense since he wasn’t one to lie despite his weird personality.
But still, he should send that girl away...
She noticed how Erika was staring intently at Se-Hoon, paying no attention to her, just like before, making her inexplicably irritated.
Why does she bother me so much?
Maybe it was because Erika left a bad first impression; just seeing Erika’s face seemed to annoy her for some reason. This was especially the case after their recent conversation, which somehow made Erika seem like the winner, and that fact only added to Luize’s irritation.
When Luize was about to gnash her teeth unintentionally—
“Hey, my hand is still in there.”
“Ah. Sorry.”
Startled, she quickly opened her mouth again, and Se-Hoon resumed stroking the sides of her molars.
“Try to avoid grinding your teeth with your mouth open like that. It’ll make your teeth sensitive to cold things later.”
Luize snorted at his advice.
“You sound like an old man.”
“What do you mean, old man? It’s a valuable piece of advice.”
“Whatever.”
Her reaction prompted a peculiar look from Se-Hoon. After all, he had heard it from her future self, the Blast Dog.
Well, you wouldn’t know until you’re older.
Thinking about the Blast Dog, who frowned whenever presented with ice cream, he chuckled. Seeing him chuckling, Luize narrowed her eyes and bit down hard.
“Ouch! Hey, I know that was on purpose.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb. If you do that again, I’m just going to...”
“Ouch?! Hey! Don’t pull on my tongue!”
With a curious expression, Erika watched these two bicker even during the examination.
They sort of feel familiar with each other.
Even though they should have only met a week ago, the ambiance around them seemed like they had known each other for years. It was probably because Se-Hoon, who always maintained a certain distance from everyone, was acting so familiar with Luize. He almost seemed like a different person.
“...”
Faced with this unusual scene, Erika properly observed Luize, who was sitting across from her, for the first time. Perhaps the person to be wary of was not Jake or Eun-Ha, but someone else entirely.
Thus, Erika’s assessment of Luize changed.
Look at those eyes; they’re so annoying, Luize thought, upon seeing Erika’s change.
The rift between the two deepened even further.