A building named the Staff of the Academy.
Wizard’s Tower.
The soldier at the entrance did not know what to do with the ‘Spring Gladiator’ who had accompanied a girl.
The soldier recalled the dusty manual.
“teacher. From here, you cannot go up without the permission of the wizard chief.”
“So, are you going to stop me?”
Bastia was standing in front of the soldier’s nose, wiggling his wooden sword. The soldier, who frowned for a moment, sniffed and said.
“Have you been drinking?”
“Ah, because life is boring.”
“… You didn’t mean to go on a drunken rampage, did you?”
“I didn’t plan to do that. I don’t know if you keep blocking me.”
“… I don’t know about the teacher, but the girl shouldn’t be there. Go through the formalities and get permission to enter.”
“I followed the procedure, but they didn’t give me an answer.”
The process of permitting access to the Wizard Tower was not that complicated. Usually, anyone can enter the Wizard’s Tower after revealing their identity. Of course, Bastia’s identity wouldn’t have been a problem.
“… He said who the girl was.”
“My daughter.”
“… Are you hermaphrodite? If you want to claim to be your daughter, grab someone and start the ceremony.”
“Boys… ? what is that?”
“It means that there must be a mother and father to have children.”
Bastia snorted.
“But isn’t that it?”
“What?”
“I have a habit of swinging a knife casually when I drink.”
“… Can’t we just not know?”
“No. Because my job is to teach.”
Bastia’s kindness is known to everyone at the academy. About half of humanity.
Unfortunately, the soldier belonged to the other half.
“… Make it sneaky.”
Bastia made a gesture to Arien to go in, and Arien smiled awkwardly at the soldier. Bastia and Arien entered the entrance of the tower.
“It’s so sad whenever I come here.”
Wizard’s Tower 1st floor.
Overall, it was a depressing atmosphere. The whole floor was undivided by walls, and there was no furniture or structure except for the pillars supporting the ceiling.
Just one thing.
On the wall opposite the entrance were two doors that were close together.
“Follow me.”
Bastia led Arien and approached the door. Each door had a similar but different pattern drawn on it.
Arien looked carefully at the pattern and said,
“Is it a cane?”
“That’s right. It’s the same no matter which way you open it. Like this.”
Bastia stretched out both hands and pushed open the two doors. It was two separate doors, but the connected space was the same shape. leading up to the stairs.
“Uh, why are there two doors like this?”
“They said it meant ‘Originally, art and technology are one.’”
“Are these two wands?”
“yes.”
Arien couldn’t guess why the crooked staff pattern and the straight staff pattern were connected to those words. Bastia, who closed the door she had pushed, continued.
“The original technology is a way to bring out the predictable. Like a straight line stretching out. On the contrary, art is a way to find unpredictable beauty. Like the tip of this crooked staff… Well, yes.”
If the person accompanying her was a man, Bastia would have added something. ‘I don’t attach meaning to the bullshit of wizards.’ Whether magic was art or technology was not his concern.
“Now, you can open any door and go up. If you open this door and go up, you will become a full-fledged apprentice wizard.”
“Thank you, Bastia. for bringing me here.”
“I will receive that thanks after Miss Arien opens the door.”
Arien tilted her head. She pushed the door that Bastia had opened.
first with one hand.
then with both hands.
Then all over the body.
Arien wore a dragon so that her face reddened. However, the door did not even budge as if it had become a wall.
“Uh, why?”
Seeing her questioning expression, Bastia smiled and said,
“It is not a door that can be opened by force.”
“sure?”
“Duty.”
Bastia sat cross-legged on the floor and said.
“This door can only be opened by those with Dantian.”
“… What is a short circuit? Is it like a key?”
“It refers to the space in a person’s lower abdomen that contains energy.”
“okay… . How do I get it?”
Bastia said with a small sigh.
“If Miss Arien says she is learning the sword, I can tell you in my own way, but Danjeon, which has been shaped like that, is not suitable for a mage. Every person is different and every aptitude is different. Miss Arien will have her own way.”
Miss Arien stepped back from the door and looked at her hand. Because of her small body, her fingers were also small. Then she closed her eyes and thought about herself.
It didn’t take long. Arien opened her eyes. The choice she made next was a very cute decision for Bastia.
“I don’t need anything nice, and I don’t need anything pretty.”
It was a song that even Bastia knew.
Frantimo’s Academy.
On the first floor of the Wizard’s Tower, also called the Tower of Wands, a girl’s ‘goblin love’ began to flow.
***
“What kind of smell comes out of the boys’ room?”
“ah. It is the scent of wine from our family brewery.”
Then, Evangeles quickly added before the officer on duty mentioned ‘penalty points’.
“Chief on duty, would you like to take a bottle?”
“… Is that okay?”
“sure.”
The officer on duty gasped and accepted the wine bottle Evangeles held out. He twitched his nose toward the cork and smiled contentedly.
“It sounds like a good drink.”
“of course. And I have one request… .”
“this. Was it a bribe?”
“It is not a great request.”
“What. Tell me.”
“I wanted you to match the patrol team.”
“Patrol Joe?”
He said, hiding the wine bottle in his arms.
“Hmm, you must have had close students. with who?”
“Johann Esperts. I am a student assigned to room 1205.”
The officer on duty nodded and turned around.
“Well… , great. Room 108, end of roll call. rest.”
The watch officer slipped out of his room, but Evangeles did not undress.
He went to the window and looked up at the moon. Remembering what John said during the day.
‘After today’s roll call, the first patrol, let’s volunteer together.’
Maybe he noticed that he was a bit disappointed. Still, he was the only friend who entered the academy together. However, since John came here, he had the feeling that he was distant from himself.
‘Guy, is something really going on?’
Whether it was a change of heart or a secret that he didn’t know about, he couldn’t guess. What he just felt was a sense of distance, and maybe he felt it too.
Evangeles recalled the times before coming here. There were many streets to recall. 10 years at least.
Ida, John, and himself literally grew up together.
His flashbacks led to the moment when his sister confessed her first love. It was probably the day the grape festival was held.
‘I want to get married to Yohan’s brother.’
‘… What?’
‘Why are you so surprised? Didn’t you know I like Yohan oppa?’
It was true that I was surprised, but it wasn’t because I liked John.
He had never thought of his brother as a creature that could be married. From that day on, the two boys and one girl grew up in slightly different ways. It was very impressive to see her younger sister sitting in front of the mirror like a fairy lady, changing her makeup here and there.
The words of the duty officer from the hallway interrupted Evangeles’ memories.
“Okay, finish the roll call in dormitory C building. Johann Esperts and Hermes Evangeles, the first patrol team, will go around the patrol route as of this time.”
Evangeles left the dorm room with a sword at his waist.
***
The patrol route is not complicated. From the east gate of Frantimo to the north gate.
All you have to do is walk along the wall and get patrol plaques from the guards.
Climbing the wall, the academy came into view at a glance.
Four dormitories with moderate distances. The winding castle tower and the tower of the sorcerer in the shape of an improper fountain can be seen in the distance. The moonlight, past midnight, was quietly sinking down, evenly painting the heads of the old buildings.
Evangeles, who was walking at my stride, hinted.
“It’s been a while since we walked together like this.”
“I know.”
“Why did you ask to walk with me?”
“just. I wanted to talk about something.”
Saying, ‘Just to get some information while I’m gone’ would sound businesslike. Evangeles smiled shyly for a moment, then looked at the moon and said,
“When I was younger, I had a lot of fun running around.”
“Didn’t you get letters from girls?”
Evangeles said in surprise.
“How did you know?”
“How? I think that is fashionable these days.”
The boy grinned and spread two fingers. Again, the number of letters you receive after your march reflects your character’s popularity. If you get two, it means you’ve become famous.
“When I was on the march, the way I fought the monsters must have been quite impressive. Well, it’s not like I fought dragon soldiers like you.”
“but. You also took knight lessons.”
“There was one more person in our group.”
“what?”
“The kid who took knight lessons. A kid you know Guess.”
Did the assignment of Joe happen like that… .
In the whole academy, there are only two students who entered after taking the knight class.
“Jackal?”
“answer.”
“He… How was it?”
“Didn’t you tell me? like a good kid He said he had researched all the monsters that would come out in preparation for the march. He gave out medicines and food to the kids, and took care of the injured kids as well. Rather, I thought the leader was squatting.”
The reason I gave Heeyang seed to the members through Adrine was because the jackal was like that in the original scenario.
Jackal is a character with an extraordinary mind that attracts people to his side.
Seeing Evangeles complimenting me like this, I can guess what happened during the three days I wasn’t there.
Jackal would have expanded his influence based on his money and plans. And, feeling the appearance of a rival, he must have been more aggressive in promoting his candidacy.
Life was still emanating from beyond the walls. The reason [Smell of Death] is a good secret is that it allows you to feel the atmosphere of the life and the spatial distance based on the smell.
‘Two days away.’
It is not a life that stems from uncontrollable anger, but a life that calmly spreads out after being calculated.
This means only one thing.
The fangs are coming to kill me.
It’s an enemy that can only be defeated after mid-game, but I have a countermeasure in mind. Tomorrow is a holiday, and students are allowed free action in the name of personal maintenance. I was quietly retracing what I had to do tomorrow, but Evangeles stopped.
“uh? Singing, isn’t it?”
Evangeles’s fingertips pointed in the direction from which the sound had come. It was the Wizard’s Tower.
And it was a familiar voice.