Chapter: 30
The next morning.
After finishing a light one-hour session at the special training grounds, which opened at six o’clock, I headed to school.
“Hey, it’s Gian.”
“He looks exhausted.”
“Yeah. Guess the rumors were true.”
Students who noticed me on the way to school whispered among themselves.
Did they think it didn’t matter if I heard them?
For “whispers,” their voices were surprisingly loud.
“Do you think he’s been disciplined nonstop since being dragged away yesterday?”
“Must be. You don’t get a face like that otherwise.”
…No, actually.
It was just that I’d pushed myself physically last night, then overdid it magically again this morning. That was all.
“Should we feel sorry for him…?”
“Sorry for what? He’s the one who turned down Sword of the People’s offer to teach him swordsmanship because he was obsessed with magic.”
“Sure, he threw away a golden opportunity himself. But still, isn’t it too much to grind him down until he looks like a zombie?”
“So, basically—Gian’s at fault for rejecting the Sword of the People’s teaching, but the Sword of the People’s also went too far in working him like that?”
As I got closer to the school, the crowd grew thicker.
And with it, the whispers about me multiplied exponentially.
‘This is getting out of hand.’
I already knew from Rosaline yesterday that rumors were circulating.
But I hadn’t expected them to spread this widely.
‘…Well, maybe that was inevitable.’
After all, the rumors involved none other than Kylo.
And I was already a hot topic within the academy myself.
If anything, it would’ve been stranger if the rumors hadn’t spread.
‘How should I handle this…?’
Letting rumors circulate about me being on bad terms with the Sword of the People wouldn’t do me any good.
If I could show that Kylo and I were actually on good terms, the rumors would die down on their own.
But how?
‘If it looks staged, people might say I’m just putting on an act to suppress the rumors.’
I needed a way to show—naturally and without force—that Kylo and I had a good teacher-student relationship.
Was there any way?
Just as I was thinking that, I stepped into the building lobby.
“Gian.”
I ran straight into the princess in the lobby.
“Good morning.”
“Mm. Good morning to you.”
Aris approached and stopped in front of me.
“So. Did you finish your talk with the Sword of the People properly yesterday?”
“…?”
Finish what talk?
“I mean about magic and your future path. I’m asking whether the Sword of the People allowed it.”
“Oh.”
So that was what she meant.
“Yes. Of course. My master respected my opinion—and even said he would support me.”
“Ohh. That is truly good to hear.”
At my answer, the whispers around us grew louder.
“What? Weren’t they on bad terms?”
“This doesn’t match the rumors.”
This was my chance.
No matter what I said on my own, it would sound like I was forcibly denying the rumors—possibly creating new ones like he’s just trying to cover it up.
But with Princess Aris opening the topic like this, it was a completely different story.
‘This is the moment to correct the rumors.’
I gave a bitter smile and continued.
“Well, he said that if I wanted to do both, I’d have to work twice as hard. So he put me through a full day of training.”
“Oh? So that’s why you look so pale.”
“Yes. He really… worked me until I was nearly dead…”
Thanks to the princess’s natural involvement, the conversation didn’t feel forced at all.
And Princess Aris wasn’t in a position where anyone would think she’d bother putting on an act just to suppress minor rumors.
Almost no one would interpret this conversation as rumor control.
If anyone did, it would be a small handful of students who already held ill will toward me.
‘Good. At least this prevents the rumors from getting twisted in a bad direction.’
Rumors were madness—unpredictable by nature—so only time would tell what happened next.
But with this many witnesses, things wouldn’t spiral worse.
‘Did the princess know I’d be troubled by these rumors… and bring this up on purpose?’
Now that I looked closely, she was already wearing her training shoes.
Which meant she had gone to the classroom first, then come back to the lobby.
‘She must’ve seen me through the window and came down.’
Our classroom overlooked the main gate.
She must’ve spotted me, moved to the lobby, and started this conversation deliberately.
“Hm. Wouldn’t it be better for you to rest your eyes for a bit before class starts?”
“Yes. That would probably be best.”
“Mm. Get some rest. I’ll wake you when it’s time.”
The way she neatly ended the conversation and headed back toward the classroom confirmed it.
She had definitely anticipated my trouble with the rumors and acted to calm them down.
“Then let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I followed behind the princess as she turned and walked toward the classroom.
“…Thank you.”
I spoke softly—quiet enough that only she could hear.
She smiled faintly, as if to say it was nothing.
As expected, she really had done this for my sake.
“Still, Gian. In your condition, will you really be able to attend today’s classes?”
“Yes. I’ll be fine. It’s not like I need to use my body just to listen. I can hold out until the afternoon.”
Sitting and listening posed no problem at all.
And thanks to my Mental stat, I wouldn’t even get sleepy.
“…Hm?”
The princess looked at me as if questioning my words.
“Today’s class isn’t a lecture. It’s a practical lesson. Haven’t you heard?”
“Oh.”
…Right. Today was a practical class.
For the practical lesson, we moved to the large hall outside the building.
Today’s instructor wasn’t Trash—
…no, not Instructor Kolo—but Seria.
“Let’s begin with introductions. Nice to meet you. I am Seria Guardian, and I will be your practical instructor in charge of magic control from here on.”
Seria wore the same instructor uniform as the others.
A sharp, formal outfit—the complete opposite of the soft, flowing maid uniform she usually wore.
Her appearance in the dormitory and her appearance while teaching at the academy were entirely different.
That contrast was one of the reasons Seria was such a popular character.
“Now then. That will be all for introductions. Let’s begin the lesson right away.”
With an emotionless expression, Seria turned toward the training facility behind her.
“Before teaching you anything, today’s first lesson will be to assess your current skill levels.”
The test was very simple.
About twelve targets inside the facility would light up at random.
Hit the lit target with magic, and that was it.
“Rather than explaining in detail, it’s better to show you. I’ll demonstrate first.”
It looked like Seria intended to perform the demonstration herself.
‘Seria Guardian. Magic practical instructor. Level undisclosed.’
As mentioned before, Seria wasn’t a companion character, so her detailed stats were never revealed.
‘In the game, you couldn’t estimate her level just by watching… but now I have the Dragon’s Eye.’
Maybe now, I could at least get a sense of her true ability.
With that expectation, I waited for her demonstration.
“Gian Bellomata.”
Suddenly, Seria called my name.
“Please serve as the representative and demonstrate.”
“…Pardon?”
Completely unexpected.
In the game, Seria always demonstrated herself.
Why dump it on me now?
“I don’t even know how to use the equipment properly—”
“I’ve seen you perform ‘Dodge & Shoot’ in the training grounds. If you can handle that, this exercise should be easy for you.”
Dodge & Shoot.
A higher-level training drill where you not only hit randomly lit targets, but also dodge incoming spells at the same time.
This exercise was a simpler version.
‘She saw that…?’
How?
I’d been alone in the training grounds at the time.
Don’t tell me she’d been secretly watching?
“What’s Dodge & Shoot?”
“No idea. Never heard of it.”
“More importantly, what does she mean by seeing him in the training grounds? We can’t even use those yet.”
“Don’t tell me he’s getting special treatment?”
The students reacted in various ways to Seria’s words.
“First-year students are prohibited from using the general training grounds for safety reasons. However, there is no rule forbidding first-years from using the special training grounds.”
Seria replied, as if responding to the mention of “special treatment.”
“I’m aware of that. But only elite students from the top five dormitories, including Garam Hall, are allowed access to the special training grounds.”
“You’re well-informed. That is correct.”
“Then allowing him to use it is clearly special treatment—”
“Student Gian is currently residing in Garam Hall.”
Seria cut the student off.
“Since Student Gian belongs to Garam Hall, there is no issue with him using the special training grounds.”
I was already affiliated with Garam Hall.
At those words, every student—including the noble who had been complaining, and even Princess Aris—widened their eyes.
“He’s already in Garam Hall…?”
“A first-year entered Garam Hall? That means he passed that insane special exam?”
Seria glanced at the whispering students and lifted the corner of her lips ever so slightly.
‘No, I’m only staying in Garam Hall for three or four days until my room gets repaired. Was there really a need to say that?’
Her expression clearly said she was satisfied with their reaction.
And the moment I saw that expression, I realized something.
I’d seen that look on Seria’s face before—in the game.
‘Don’t tell me she’s trying to get me kicked out of Garam Hall as soon as possible…?’
The expression of someone who had finally achieved what they wanted.
‘So this is your true nature!’
It was the same expression she wore after successfully driving the player out of Garam Hall.
Seria watched Gian’s back as he stood in position, smiling broadly to herself.
‘This will spread the rumor that Gian is officially affiliated with Garam Hall.’
The moment class ended, the rumor would spread at the speed of light.
Within an hour, every student would know.
‘Normally, announcing that Gian was only staying temporarily for three or four days would’ve settled things neatly. But this time, we can’t reveal that.’
The reason Gian was staying in Garam Hall was because his dorm room had been destroyed after he was attacked by a Black Night executive.
‘The academy can’t announce that Gian was the victim of that attack.’
To explain why Gian was staying in Garam Hall for a few days, they’d have to admit he was attacked and his room destroyed.
But Garam Academy couldn’t reveal that the attack had targeted Gian.
They’d already covered it up once.
There was no way they could now say, Actually, this is what happened.
‘In this situation, the academy has only one viable choice.’
Make Gian a true member of Garam Hall.
Have him take the special exam—and pass it—thus turning the rumor into fact.
It was the most efficient and reliable option available.
‘With this, Student Gian Bellomata will no longer be temporary. He will officially become a member of Garam Hall.’
The academy would likely scold Seria for escalating the situation by saying it outright.
But that didn’t matter.
Even if she was held responsible, the worst that would happen was a slight pay cut.
‘If Gian were to fail the Garam Hall exam, my pay would be docked…’
But that wouldn’t happen.
‘With Gian’s skill, there’s no way he’d fail.’
Last night, just before roll call, Seria had seen Gian return using levitation magic.
His control was unbelievable for someone who had only just learned magic.
She’d also seen him training in the special grounds that morning.
Compared to yesterday morning, his skill had more than doubled.
‘Passing is guaranteed. There are no variables.’
Swordsmanship already near perfection.
Magic growing at an absurd rate.
There was no way for him to fail.
Seria smiled faintly, convinced everything was proceeding flawlessly.
“I’m ready.”
Lost in thought, she heard Gian signal that he was ready to begin.
“Very well. We’ll begin.”
Seria activated the device.
[3]
A countdown appeared above the device.
[Start!]
Three seconds passed in an instant, and the test began.
Beep!
The farthest target lit up.
Gian hurled the condensed mana he’d prepared and struck it cleanly.
‘As expected.’
From the start, Seria had been certain Gian would achieve a perfect score.
There was no reason to be surprised.
Beep!
Another target lit up.
Seria expected Gian to simply gather more mana and hit it as before.
But—
“…!”
Her expectation was completely overturned.
Instead of forming new mana, Gian re-controlled the mana mass he’d already thrown and redirected it toward the second target.
‘At this distance… he hasn’t lost control of a raw mana mass?’
Unbelievable.
Once mana leaves the body, it quickly blends into the atmosphere, becoming impossible to control.
This wasn’t a spell reinforced by a magic formula—it was pure mana.
And yet, he was maintaining control over it midair.
How was that even possible?
‘To do something like this, one would need at least the mana affinity of the spirit race…’
A technique only possible for beings whose bodies were made of mana itself.
And yet, it was being performed by a human—Gian.
Which meant—
‘Student Gian’s mana affinity is comparable to that of a spirit.’
That was the only conclusion.
