3 chapter 2
"Frey, what are those?"
Lucas looked at the pills strewn all over the bed and replied.
"Sleeping pills."
"That wasn't what I meant. What I want to know is-"
"Swallowing five would cause you to lose consciousness,
while ten puts your life at risk. I'm aware of what you want to
talk about, professor."
"..."
Dio was astonished. The timid Frey he knew would never cut him
off. Moreover, the timbre of his voice was much more powerful than
he could remember.
"I'm sorry to have caused you to worry, but it's not going to
happen."
His voice was firm, a quality not found in the original Frey. Dio was
flustered, but soon made a guess.
'Was it a great awakening?' Perhaps he did swallow the pills and
arrived on the brink of death, only to survive by the will of the
heavens.
He must have gone through a multitude of inner changes. If
an outsider heard this, they would object in fervor. But however rare,
some magicians have gained strength after passing through the veil
of death. Moreover, raising the level of one's magic a star higher also
results in the strengthening of one's mental power.
The more he
thought about it, the more he believed it to be true.The reality was different, but Dio's mind was set.
"I'll need to retrieve the pills."
"Yes sir."
Lucas personally picked up the pills scattered on the bed and
handed them to Dio. Taking them, he nodded.
"Frey, I won't ask you how you got this many sleeping pills.
However, keep in mind that I cannot allow such behavior
twice."
"I understand, sir."
Dio intended to leave at those words, but he turned his head and
added.
"It seems like something fortuitous occurred.
Congratulations."
Lucas nodded with an unsure expression.
"Thank you."
"But make sure to skip the practical training session
tomorrow afternoon."
"What do you mean?"
It was really an honest question for Lucas, but Dio's expression
became rigid as if he thought he was trying to feign innocence.
"You don't think you'll be able to defeat David just because
you climbed a rank, do you? He's well-known for being an
excellent 3-star magician. You won't be able to do it as you
are now."
"...?
"I'll tell the professor in charge of the afternoon class, so
go to bed early."
Dio parted with those words. Lucas remembered David's threat.
"I'm going to make you half-dead in tomorrow's practical
training session."
"Bastard of the Blake House!"
"Hahaha!
You can look forward to it!" A contemptuous cackling brunette
came to mind. His name was David Stonehazard.
When he recalled David's face, sweat pooled on his palms. Frey
was frightened. But the fear soon vanished without a trace; his
identity as Lucas forbade him to be afraid of such a teeny brat.
"Tomorrow's training session."
Lucas was not worried. There was a mountain of work to be done
ahead of him. In comparison, the problem of a little kid like David
was not worth his effort.
Deciding to head outside first, he opened
the door and left the dormitory.
Lucas breathed deeply, the brisk night air permeating his lungs. It
had an unpleasant odor. Frey's memories let him know precisely
where he stood.
'The student dorms.' It was the worst dormitory among them.
Because it was near a garbage disposal site and a stable, the air
smelled foul. Even worse, it took as long as 20 minutes to walk to the
main building.
As a result, there were less than 10 people living in
the large space.
Lucas surveyed his surroundings and found an area where mana
thickly concentrated. It took little effort since the area in question
was the dormitory's backyard.
It was a place hardly visited by others
and was left mostly untouched. Hence, the nearby natural mana had
been preserved to some extent.
'But what a shame...' Lucas thought of the places he used to train at in the past.
Glaciers that no human set foot upon, rivers of flowing lava, and
summits that seemed to pierce the heavens... All of them were
natural areas that allowed him to feel the purest mana. Regrettably,
he knew that as he was now, he could not go anywhere near those
areas without losing his life.
"Let's not be impatient."
Lucas muttered to himself. Patience should be exercised
thoroughly. Not only that, it was crucial that he remained levelheaded without ever losing sight of the anger which drove him.
Closing his eyes, he began to steadily concentrate.
* * *
What Lucas was practicing was the most basic training technique
called assimilation. The goal was to become one with nature through
immersion. It was his former friend, Schweizer Straw, who devised
this training method. Recalling him left Lucas a bit nostalgic.
The most distinctive feature of this practice was that the effect
varied greatly depending on the mental discipline of the trainee. In
the past, when Frey would do this training all day, the mana he was
able to concentrate amounted only to a handful of dust.
Lucas on the
other hand...
"..."
The sun steadily climbed over the horizon. Nevertheless, Lucas did
not move an inch and maintained his posture. He slowly opened his
eyes, which were overflowing with a cerulean aura.
To an onlooker, it
would have been an astounding sight. The cerulean energy that was
clearly visible at first glance was the manifestation of mana. The
heady concentration was unmistakable proof of reaching five stars.
"Ugk!"
Lucas vomited a mass of foreign matter. The putrid black
substance reeked. Before long, similar liquids began to trickle out
from pores all over his body.
It was the impurities accumulated in this body since Frey was born.
In order to move mana more efficiently, they needed to be cleared
first. The movement speed would increase drastically from just this
purge alone.
In addition, the body could now be cloaked with mana
more easily, making it possible to engage in a fierce battle with
sufficient maneuverability.
"Ugk..."
For about a dozen minutes, Lucas sat down and spewed forth an
amount of black liquid so great that it was unthinkable to have come
from such a small body. Once finished, he sighed with a satisfied
look. Although he smelled dreadful and his clothes were drenched
with the black substance, he was full of vigor.
Looking at the mass of impurities that left his body, Lucas
muttered.
"This guy's blood vessels were blocked so severely, it's
abnormal."
It was almost unbelievable that he was a child of a renowned
magician family. His blood vessels were tightly clogged, and his
sensitivity was hopeless.
"... Though impurities this great cannot be natural."
He couldn't tell if someone had a hand in this. It was not
improbable, as Frey had a missing memory from his childhood.
"Hmm..."
He decided to put away his thoughts for now. In any case, Lucas
was successful in raising his power to the fifth star. Magecraft laid within the realm of the mind, not the body.
Though it was obvious
that the two could not be separated entirely. However, as long as he
remembered himself as the Great Mage Lucas Traumen, it was only a
matter of time before he regained his original position.
He was certain that time would be greatly reduced.
'But right now, five stars is the limit.' Frey's body could collapse if
he was too rash. How could he waste this body so vainly? Lucas
shook his head and waved his hands.
A loud rumble echoed. At that moment, the ground was uprooted
and dirt rose from the earth. Transient Spear! It was an advanced
spell only 5-star magicians or higher could use with ease.
Frey took
some of the upturned soil and masked the impurities on his body.
There was still an awful stench, but no one would find it odd since he
resided near the garbage dump.
He then returned to the dormitory, as cleaning his body took
precedence.
It was still dawn and not many lived there in the first
place, so he was able to wash alone.
When Lucas was done, he began changing into his student
uniform.
Seeing his face reflected in the dusty mirror, he murmured.
"Well, you've got a pretty good face."
Lucas said it offhandedly, but in fact his appearance had changed a
great deal overnight. As the impurities in his body were removed, his
skin became dewy while his eyes glistened.
Even his unkempt hair
was now as silky as a noble's. Frey was not ugly to begin with.
Rather, he was strikingly handsome. However, the usual Frey had
always cowered with his back curved, shoulders shrunken, and head
bowed.
But now he was different. His waist and shoulders were straight,
and his always trembling eyes were firm. Overall, the impression he gave had changed remarkably.
Frey's appearance now shone as if a diamond in the rough had
been thoroughly polished through persistent workmanship.
So much
that the students who knew him would not easily recognize him. In
that sense, Lucas was indifferent.
As he finished changing, he realized that both his stomach and
throat ached painfully, evidence that he needed sustenance. His
thirst for mana was satiated, so now his body desperately craved a
meal.
He wanted to eat. Anything would do. He just wanted to chew,
swallow, and drink.
'The cafeteria is in the main building.' He headed straight to the
cafeteria. It was early in the morning, so there were only a few
people present.
In the past, he preferred quiet meals, but after 4,000
years of being stuck in a space with nothing, more silence than
necessary felt uncomfortable. The current low hum was just right.
The clatter of dining utensils, the whirring of the busy kitchen, and
the low roar of the students' chatter created a tranquil atmosphere.
Wheat bread and hot soup. Something so simple caused tears to
well in Lucas' eyes as he ate.
'Delicious.' It was his first meal in 4,000 years, so he probably
would have had a similar reaction even if he chewed on roadside
weeds. Lucas ate the soup with care as if it was the best one he ever
had.
The food at Westroad Academy's cafeteria deeply moved him,
living up to it's stellar reputation.
With a sigh, he finished his meal. Lucas wanted to close his eyes
and immerse himself in the lingering bliss of satiety, but he could not
afford it.
He quickly regained his senses and headed to the classroom where
his first class took place. The reason why he wanted to attend class
was simple.
'Frey's knowledge is lacking.' Since he liked to study, he was a bit
more knowledgeable compared to his peers, but he was still like a
frog in a well. Lucas needed to figure out how the current world
operated. In this sense, his position as a student at the academy was
perfect.
He intended to use his current status to its fullest until he
could grasp the situation and gather enough information.
Lucas decided to live as Frey for the time being.
'This is it.' He opened the classroom door and entered not as
Lucas, but as Frey
