Chapter : 21
I’ll save you in the bad ending route
Training
“Ah, Ailan⁈”
“Ailan⁈”
“Ailan, are you okay⁈ Snap out of it!”
Frea grabbed me and screamed. I should have opened my eyes and said I was fine, but maybe due to the side effects of <Observer’s Sight>, too much information about amounts flooded my mind, giving me a headache.
Or maybe my brain was genuinely shocked by the staggering numbers.
“Shouldn’t we go to the infirmary⁈”
“Calm down. Your pulse is fine.”
Before I knew it, Aaron was holding my wrist, checking my pulse.
“C-could it be because of my magic?”
I heard Damian muttering in a frightened voice.
At that, I suddenly snapped awake, like cold water had been poured over me. My eyes snapped open and I sat up.
The three of them were stunned as I sprang up like a spring. I quickly looked at Damian. His face was already pale with fear.
“N-no, Damian. It’s not because of your magic.”
“Th-then….”
“No! The weapons were sh-shattered! I—I panicked for a moment thinking I’d have to pay for them!”
I waved my hands frantically, trying to show it was absolutely not his fault. Damian nodded, his face pale.
“Your magic was really amazing! Really reliable! Hahaha.”
At that moment, a chill ran through my body.
‘We really don’t have to pay for all this ourselves, right?’
Thinking about it, I had been the one who threw all my magic at Frea and told her to handle it.
‘Five thousand gold… gold… h-how… this… I… do I have to pay for it…? Am I going to go bankrupt selling even the noble estate at this rate⁈’
While I was seriously clutching my head in despair, Frea placed her hand over mine.
“Don’t worry, Ailan.”
Then she knelt and held my hand.
“This is my fault since I started it. The Lartea family will cover the compensation. I’ll also pay for all the repair costs for the training ground.”
‘Oh my God.’
A halo flashed behind Frea. The glory of the Lartea family was so overwhelming I almost went blind. And this person is my friend!
“Thank you! I feel relieved!”
I hugged Frea tightly and shouted. I’m saved! She’s not going to go bankrupt!
Damian also tried to help ease my worry from the side.
“Y-yeah. Since it was my magic that caused this mistake… I should take responsibility. My father will help too. You don’t need to worry, Ailan…”
“No, Damian. This is my fault. …I’ve seen your skill.”
Her expression was much calmer than when she first came to the training ground.
“I’ll recognize you as Ailan’s partner. You can definitely protect Ailan. You really know how to control dark magic.”
“Frea….”
For the first time, Damian and Frea’s gazes met. Damian’s expression brightened.
“But if you harm Ailan even once, you’re fired immediately.”
“Yes.”
Still, she seemed not fully trusting him.
‘Once Frea starts disliking someone, she tends to keep disliking them.’
It was Damian’s fault for cutting Frea’s hair and putting it in a cauldron. Now it’s something Damian has to deal with.
Anyway, I safely drew out Damian’s magic. My Orion exam partner issue was finally resolved.
All that remained was to pass the Orion exam.
Whether from tension or relief, my body went limp and a natural smile appeared.
For the remaining time, we cleaned up the training ground together. We told the professor that it happened during practice, and he looked horrified. Fortunately, Frea stepped in to cover the repair costs, and the matter ended quietly.
I couldn’t forget the professor’s relieved face at that moment.
The next day, I heard the training ground had been repaired in a single day. Magic must have been involved. During lunch, Frea came to find Damian and me as if she had been waiting.
“Since you two are going to take the Orion exam, I’ll help with your training.”
Having S-tier character Frea help with training was reassuring.
Aaron also said he would provide us with any information about the Orion exam if he could. With their help, Damian and I began preparing for the Orion exam.
For the next few days, Frea gave us intense training.
“Swing your weapon at the training dummies and use magic appropriately. Got it?”
Wearing training clothes, Frea handed me a wooden sword. With her silver hair tied high, she looked like a proper instructor. I took the wooden sword—it felt surprisingly right in my hands.
‘Ah, maybe it’s because Ailan practices swordsmanship every day.’
When I took Professor Rivender’s class before, I worried whether I could handle a sword. But now, holding the wooden sword with both hands, my unease disappeared.
I turned toward the training dummy, raised the sword, and struck. The heavy wooden sword felt light. I could swing it without holding back.
<Observer’s Sight> displayed a counter.
[1 Combo! 2 Combo! 3 Combo!]
After hitting it about five times, the training dummy shattered and flew to the end of the training ground.
“Not bad. Ailan, your swordsmanship is impeccable.”
It was unnecessary worry. Ailan’s body had reached the level where he could fight with his eyes closed from years of training. My body had never felt this light before. For the first time, I realized the joy of physical activity.
Training with Frea wasn’t hard at all. She gave advice and praise generously.
“I’ll help Damian too.”
Frea approached Damian, who was training alone. Damian used his magic in front of her.
“Too strong. Use a little less power.”
“L-like this?”
“Yes, you can do it.”
With her encouragement, Damian began controlling his dark magic remarkably. I had never seen him handle his power so well.
Damian smiled, clearly proud of himself.
“Good, now it seems you’re really fine.”
Frea turned away from Damian as if to say she had nothing more to correct. We continued training with her, losing track of time.
“Come on, Ailan! Bend your body more there!”
“Like this?”
“Yes! So you can attack even if a monster ambushes you!”
“Got it!”
The twelfth wooden dummy flew away and disappeared. Soon, the thirteenth dummy reappeared. Swinging my sword lightly and freely to relieve stress felt great. Frea kept praising me.
“By the way, Ailan, have you tried using your skill?”
“Skill?”
At the word, I instinctively flinched.
“Skill?”
“Yes, try it once.”
I realized I had never properly used “Ailan’s skill.”
‘Now’s my chance. But how do I use it?’
I hadn’t been able to use magic properly since coming to this world. The only times were on Yerina’s group and calming Damian—but even then, it wasn’t fully by choice.
Then a green window popped up as if waiting for me.
[Ailan Chandler LV 26
, , , , in possession.]
<Observer’s Sight> triggers… somehow. Anyway, useful.
I needed to use the easiest skill first. I gathered magic to cast .
‘It worked when I calmed Damian and when I was with Yerina’s group, so it should work now.’
“!”
Wind magic wrapped around me, lifting me into the air.
Whoa. It worked. I succeeded! I succeeded in using magic!
I was so fascinated by my body floating like a CG in a movie I wanted to scream.
“Not bad, now I’ll watch you use your sword and skill together.”
“Yes~”
Then an “info window” appeared next to me.
[ increases movement speed by 6%.]
6%? Strange. I thought it increased by 18%…
At that moment, Aaron entered the training ground. He walked straight up to us, handing a sheet of paper.
“What is it?”
“The map for the Caliphrand Maze is out.”
“Already?”
We set down our weapons and looked at the sheet on Aaron’s chair. It was a simplified cross-section of the Caliphrand Maze from floors 1 to 20.
In this world, what’s commonly called a “dungeon” in games is called a “maze.”
It has at least five floors and exists in many locations worldwide. Each floor has specific monsters, and unless you defeat the maze boss, monsters keep respawning and eventually harm people.
Top priority for any mage is to eliminate mazes.
Looking at the cross-section, I noticed something odd.
Aaron had handed not a map, but literally a “cross-section.”
None of the stairs, mechanisms, or traps I remembered were drawn.
‘They don’t reveal the detailed structure of the maze before the exam.’
Clearing traps and mechanisms is treated as a test of skill. Damian held up the paper, squinting, and asked.
“Is this the actual maze?”
“Yes. Skilled mages prepared it for the exam. The number of monsters inside is reduced for students, but they’re all real.”
Ah, that’s how it works.
In the actual game, you take the Scorpion Exam or the summer mage promotion exam, picking a partner to earn stars. Back then I didn’t know the backstory, but now it was fun.
“What if there are many dark or ice attribute monsters?”
I answered Damian’s question.
“I’ll move ahead since I’m fast and check which monsters are there.”
“Got it.”
Frea, hearing our plan, stood up.
“The important thing is items. If elemental affinity is disadvantageous, you can offset it with items.”
True. I’m a wind-element mage, but with fire-element items, I can defeat ice monsters easily.
“Then tomorrow, let’s go buy items for tackling the Caliphrand Maze.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes, tomorrow. Let’s go out together.”
Outing!
‘Since entering this game world, I’ve never gone outside the school.’
“What time is good tomorrow?”
