Chapter 67
Even in Academia, there are weekends.
One day a week is designated as a day of rest, where no classes are held.
Most students use this golden holiday to catch up on sleep, hang out with friends, or fully dedicate themselves to studying.
It’s a story similar to the real world.
And here I am, waking up at the crack of dawn, three hours into my own time inside the room.
It’s a rare day where I can spend time without any restrictions. What’s the point of not using this time ‘properly’?
Hmm?!
Drawing out pure magic to ensure no foreign substances exist, I materialize its form. A sphere with a diameter of 1m. I adjust the inside by bringing my hand closer.
If left like this, the sphere won’t last long and will disperse into the air.
I activate a special attraction force between magic and its particles, reducing the distance to the maximum manageable limit to shrink the sphere.
As the magic transforms, the size of the sphere gradually decreases. Its strength and hardness increase, the surface becoming even smoother.
Thus, a flawless bead is completed, without a single crease. Placing the 5cm diameter bead on the desk, it rolls with its own unique sound.
Carefully moving it to prevent the bead from rolling on its own.
Four pre-made beads stand in a row on the desk. They are not simply placed on the desk individually but in a manner where, graphically speaking, they form a line along the y-axis rather than the x-axis.
Attempting to place a newly made bead on top of the bead tower. Very delicately.
To an onlooker, it might seem like I’m just passing the time playing, but I’m actually focusing as much as possible, effectively training magic.
Controlling the output and intensity of magic through the artifact provided by Helion is quite complex and consumes a lot.
Just making such a pure magic crystal is not an easy task, let alone compressing it, solidifying its shape. Even making a bead with a perfect form that emits light from its surface.
Not to boast, but well, maybe to boast a little.
Even at this stage, those under the control of the artifact can experience dizziness from an overheated magic circuit.
Yet, I didn’t stop there. Even a slight deviation or placing an unstable bead could cause it to collapse, so I’m slowly stacking this bead tower.
The magic beads I made are pure crystallizations of magic with no other attributes mixed in.
Therefore, when they collide with other magic crystals, if no separate measures are taken, the established equilibrium is disrupted, collisions occur, and a new form is created or they bounce off.
Simply put, they either clump together or collapse.
Comparing it is quite amusing in itself, but placing a bead on a regular bead is many times… no, considering the intricacies of handling magic, hundreds of times more difficult.
“….!”
Right now.
I have finally succeeded in placing the 5th bead on top.
It is a historic moment.
When I first started this training, the maximum was only four beads with a diameter of 5cm. But now, I have developed to the point of having as many as five…!
“Ah.”
Rolling.
With the sound of the jade beads rolling, the tower of beads collapses. Each bead departs on its own path, wandering across the desk.
Reflecting on the history of the collapsed bead tower in such a desolate manner, I let out a sigh of regret.
“Phew….”
It is an expression of sorrow for a brief moment of glory. It is by no means petty resentment or ill feelings.
“……”
With a touch of my forehead, I briefly mourn the moment and immediately draw out the magic power to create a new bead.
Creating beads is an integral part of rigorous training, so once a bead is created and used, it is discarded.
Currently, I am continuing the process of compressing a 1m sphere into a 5cm sphere, but eventually, I will need to create even smaller beads with a smaller sphere.
This is because maintaining a stable form becomes difficult with lower density, marking an advanced version.
Once again, a bead of pure completed magic.
I spent a golden-like holiday inside the room, repeating the process I had just done. It is the best way to expand the total amount of mana in the current state.
“Ah….”
Rolling.
This truly cannot be an unproductive time.
***
Knock.
Alicia stood in front of Vargan’s door and knocked.
“Master Vargan, it’s Alicia. May I come in?”
There was no response from beyond the door.
Alicia tilted her head and knocked on the door once more, asking. However, still, no sound returned.
“Umm….”
Unless on a specific appointed day, she had always come for inspection at the same time, so this was a first.
As she pondered what to do, she knocked again and gently turned the doorknob.
She recalled being told that in such cases, if the door was open, she could enter, and if it was closed, she should leave.
The doorknob turned.
It meant she could enter.
“Excuse me….”
The energy of the dim room seeped through the crack. His room was filled only with darkness, with no lights turned on.
“Huh…?”
Alicia noticed something round and mysterious scattered all around the floor.
The space, which she thought was filled with darkness, was a sea of faded jade beads.
There were so many that she couldn’t take them all in at a glance.
It was Vargan’s room that had always been neat and tidy.
Sensing an unusual situation, Alicia walked through the beads, searching for Vargan.
He was sitting at a large desk, looming over it.
“Young master…!”
When Alicia spotted Vargan, she unconsciously smiled and slowly approached him.
Upon closer inspection, something resembling beads scattered on the floor stood upright on his desk, each in perfect form.
There was no movement whatsoever.
“Young master… what is this…?”
Only after she came right next to him, Vargan turned his head. His eyes were deeply set, and he seemed more relaxed than usual.
“Oh, has time flown by already?”
Only after Alicia arrived, Vargan’s time seemed to pass. She repeatedly looked at something on his desk, and Vargan explained,
“These are the ‘Sphere 5-story Pagodas’ I’ve built. It’s now possible to mass-produce them stably.”
A tower of 5-story beads filled his desk. All the spheres were consistent in size and color, standing so perfectly upright that it seemed almost impossible.
“Young master, did you spend the whole day on this today…?”
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“Alicia, before the inspection.”
Vargan, casually stretching, said,
“Let’s start with cleaning the room.”
The beads he made were sturdy and not easily combustible.
***
Alicia quickly lit the room’s lights and started cleaning, swiftly restoring the room’s original appearance with her busy hands.
I sit on a chair, watching Alicia. Today, I can’t squeeze out any more magic to teach her. If I tamper with the magic circuits too much, it could lead to issues.
Hmm… today, let’s focus on evaluating her growth or delivering some theory.
Ah, but there’s something I need to check first.
“Alicia, have you completed all your assignments?”
“Yes, I have completed them all. I am proud to say I have done my best in every subject.”
“Oh, I see. That’s good then.”
From the way she speaks, she must have poured in a lot of time and effort. It’s Alicia we’re talking about, after all.
Now, the assignment season is coming to an end.
Most incidents from the first semester are coming to a close.
As I immerse myself in the smoothly progressing plot, suddenly, I remember Louisa’s assignment. The topic was clear… “List what you want to achieve before you die.”
I wonder how she answered and in what manner.
“What did Louisa write for her assignment?”
“…”
Alicia blinked her eyes, parted her lips, and hesitated repeatedly.
“It wasn’t just about listing words. It meant you could shape something with magic, or even use extraordinary methods that others couldn’t replicate.”
It was a highly flexible assignment.
“Oh, yes… a task that can be expressed in various ways…”
Alicia’s response is peculiar.
She avoids my gaze, fidgets with her gathered fingers. That’s Alicia’s typical trait of hiding something.
She said she was proud of achieving the best results, but did she just skim over Louisa’s assignment?
…I doubt that.
“Alicia.”
“Ah… Yes! Young Master.”
“I haven’t heard your answer yet.”
Why is this happening?
Has she caught onto something strange? Something difficult to tell others. Is she implying something that is hard even for me to say?
As Alicia started to furrow her brows, she realized her mood was souring and displayed even more confusion.
However, as if realizing she couldn’t hide it anyway, she opened her mouth.
“W-well… “
“Well?”
“W-well… “
“……”
“Ah…!”
Alicia tried to lower her head and hide her face, but I firmly grabbed her hand to stop her. No matter how much she lowered her head, she couldn’t hide her expression.
With a deeply flushed face, she blurted out the truth. It seemed like she burst out as if surprised by her own sudden confession.
Now, before dying, what do you want to achieve? Alicia, what did you specify as your answer?
“F-f-family…!!”
She tightly closed her eyes as she spoke.
“I captured the image of the family I dream of… in a hallucination and submitted it….”
Ah, family… Family.
Releasing her hand that I held, I fell into deep contemplation. Yes, that answer is sufficient for her. Due to childhood trauma, she has a significant lack when it comes to family. Yes, it makes sense…
Seeing no particular reaction from me, Alicia timidly raised her eyes to meet mine.
I closed my eyes and spoke softly.
“Alicia.”
“Yes, yes, Young Master…!”
“I won’t conduct any further investigations for the time being. There’s no need to visit me in the middle of the night.”
“…Yes?”
I sighed deeply.
“You don’t need to come to meet me in the morning. Just focus on your tasks.”
“Young Master? Why… Oh, oh…! Y-Young Master, it’s not what you think…!!”
Raising my head, I interrupted her.
“That will be all for today. You may leave now.”
“You’re truly misunderstanding, Young Master…! I just…!!”
“Ah, this is awkward. What should I tell Erica…?”
Teasing Alicia for a while, I relieved the stress accumulated today. Lately, I’ve been feeling like maybe this is some kind of hobby of mine.
At least it’s effective in lightening the mood.
If you have a species like Alicia around, I highly recommend it.
***
At the same time, inside the Academy, in the training grounds.
In this place where various forms of scarecrows and artificial structures are arranged, some students seem to have forgotten it’s late at night as they focus on their training.
“hahahahaha! Well done, well done! Dedication without exhaustion is the source of strength! Excellent perseverance, Bell!”
“Ow, it hurts! I’m really going to bruise like this! Bruising, I say! And please lower your voice. You’re causing trouble for others!”
Among the students of Class 3, Leon and Bell were part of it, and Bell was being hit by Leon’s pot-like hands.
Leon was busy laughing at something he found amusing.
Tears welled up in Bell’s tired eyes. No matter how much she thought about it, her current appearance seemed too pitiful.
“Initially, I didn’t want to push my body to exhaustion until this late hour, so why do you keep dragging me out of the room every time and forcing me to train! Please, just let me go back to my room!”
Bell spoke with full sincerity, as if wailing.
However, her words did not reach Leon.
“Bell! I already know your sincerity well enough! Showing such a weak appearance is because you feel embarrassed! Let’s overcome that embarrassment through training!”
“Ah, really…! Someone please stop this person!”
“hahahahaha??!”
Laughing for a while, Leon turned his gaze to a man he saw in the corner.
There was a man silently wielding a sword.
He was the person who arrived earliest and left the training grounds latest recently.
*Clang!*
He moved the sword without a moment’s rest.
With the sword raised like a machine, he aimed at a scarecrow.
*Clang!*
“Hmm….”
Leon looked at the man and clenched his jaw. He was consumed by training, but he was going too far. Pushing his body to the limit, he tried to continue his lineage through healing magic.
*Clang!*
The faint light of the scarecrow, which seemed too weak and about to extinguish, clashed with the man.
Bell realized that Leon’s attention had shifted to another target and followed suit, turning her head.
The person wrestling with the scarecrow was Toyren Trowa Finn, a student from Class 1.
“Hm!”
Leon made up his mind.
“…What are you planning to do this time?”
Having completely lost faith in Leon through the class war, Bell scrutinized him with suspicious eyes no matter what he did.
Leon responded confidently.
“Bell! It’s a joint training.”
“Ah, it’s really going to burst my eardrums. …What? Wait a moment. Suddenly a joint training? What’s that about…”
“I’ve found an opponent for you to spar with!”
Leon walked confidently towards Finn.
Sensing that something troublesome was about to happen, Bell tried to stop him but gave up. He was someone who would push through to the end once he decided on something. No matter how much she tried to hold him back, he would charge ahead.
“Sigh… Please just let me sleep.”
Bell sighed and followed behind Leon.