Chapter 19

"Where are you? Where did you go?"

The situation was concluded, and a while later, I heard a young voice from within the forest as I put my throwing knives away in my briefcase.

"Where are you?!"

"She rode a cane and flew away, chairman."

"Huh!"

Her eyes opened wide when she noticed the devil with a hole through its head.

"You've already done it!"

"…"

I tried to clean the blood off my face with Cleanse, but the mana in the blood resisted my magic. I had no choice but to wipe it with a handkerchief and throw it away.

"As expected of a Yukline wizard! You just killed a devil! What magic did you use? Ah! Metal seemed to have penetrated this part of him…is this, by any chance, caused by the [Gale Blade Awl] that I created?!"

"What a childish name."

My voice unconsciously sounded sharp, causing the chairman to throw her head back in surprise.

"W-what? Everyone said it was good!"

"Who do you think would dare say such a painful truth to the chairman?"

I turned around after saying that. I heard her murmur in reply.

"R-really? Is it really not good?"

"Yes."

"Ah…"

She grew sullen. Her habit of pretending to be immature made me uncomfortable, but what happened after that was filled with blood. The chairman picked up the devil's body and threw it away.

Thwaaang—!

It grazed my shoulder before falling onto the ground, its flesh and blood splattering all over the place.

"The [Gale Blade Awl] isn't a good name…"

The chairman muttered indifferently, and I calmly walked in the middle of the carnage. Thanks to psychokinesis, not a single drop of blood managed to splatter onto me. When I came down the mountain, many wizards had already gathered in front of the tower.

I remembered Ifrin. Against my will, I had acted too violently. I grabbed the closest wizard to me and immediately inquired about her.

"Hey, there should be a debutante wizard-"

"Head Professor Deculein."

A strange voice interrupted me mid-sentence. I looked around, finding a handsome man with a soft voice.

"How have you been?"

I immediately identified him as soon as I saw his golden blonde hair and bridal suit. He was a named individual associated with the Church, known for being more faithful and devoted than anyone else.

Terpe.

"The wizards have saved us. I would like to ask you about the internal situation in private, Head Professor."

Terpe was a beautiful man with a good heart, but from Deculein's stance, his presence was quite uncomfortable. He was a helper to those who held a grudge against him, after all.

"Talk with the chairman instead. I don't know why, but she blew up its body."

"Ah. I see."

Nodding, Terpe glanced over the wizards with a smile and walked into the mountain while the ones behind him looked at me in fear. I called them out.

"Julie, Ferit, Rondo."

"…Yes, yes."

Julie replied with an uptight expression.

"Is the other one okay?"

"What? Oh, yes! Ifrin is now at the university hospital-"

"Good."

I turned around without listening to the rest since my mental fatigue was quite severe. I had never yearned for home as much as I did now, but I couldn't leave yet. From afar, I heard the professors calling out to me as they ran to my side.

"Head Professor! Are you all right?!"

Post-processing, imperial reporting, paperwork, and cooperating with the Church…I felt like running away when I was reminded of the work that was piling up.

******

Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp—

As sunlight seeped through the windows, Ifrin opened her eyes to the sound of birds singing.

"…"

She blinked blankly at the white ceiling. Looking around, she immediately deduced she was at the university hospital.

"You're awake."

A friendly voice tickled her ears, feeling as warm as the sun. Surprised, Ifrin sat up quickly.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Terpe, the priest of the Euref Cathedral."

"…Terpe?"

Terpe replied, looking at her with a smile.

"You've grown quite a lot, Ifrin Luna."

"…You know me?"

Still suspicious of him, her brow furrowed.

"I know your father. He was my acquaintance. I've seen you a lot in the pictures he's shown me."

"…Is that so."

She naturally became defensive upon hearing him mentioning his father.

"I came here today to ask you about the Mountain of Darkness, but…" Terpe smiled softly. "I don't think you understood properly what transpired there."

"…Embarrassingly enough, I was affected by a magic spell—"

"Head Professor Deculein saved you from the devil's bewitchment."

"Oh, right…"

"The Mountain of Darkness has been closed off while the Church, along with the Tower, investigates inside."

Ifrin put her hands to her face. As expected, it wasn't a dream. Deculein truly did help her.

'Beggar.'

His cold voice still lingered in her ears.

"But apart from that, I'd like to ask you, my old friend's daughter—"

"Wait a minute. Friend? My father's?"

"Yes. Maybe it was one-sided, but I know what he's been through. If you ever need help—"

"No."

She shook her head without hesitation. Terpe was a little surprised.

"That's alright."

Deculein and her. That knot was something she had to unravel herself. Nobody was allowed to interfere with her vengeance. She had to punish Deculein herself, at least for her father's death.

"No, I don't want to rely on you. You shouldn't meddle with my affairs, either, Mr. Terpe."

Terpe laughed silently at her determination.

"That aside…would you like to continue resting?"

"What?"

"Today is Wednesday, and it's 2:45 in the afternoon. It's been exactly thirty-six hours since the incident happened."

It happened Tuesday at midnight, but it was already Wednesday by the time she regained consciousness. Ifrin pondered absentmindedly, thinking she was missing something. Terpe reminded her about it instead.

"Today is Professor Deculein's class. Of course, no one will say anything if you rest, but the proud Professor will still acknowledge your absence…."

"…Ah!"

Ifrin jumped to her feet.

"Ms. Luna, studying is good, but don't push yourself too hard. You're still mentally weakened."

"Oh, yes! Be careful on your way too, Mr. Terpe!"

"Hmm? Hahaha. Yes, thank you. Take care."

Ifrin immediately left the university hospital.

"Take your medicine with you!"

She ignored the voice and sped off. It would take her fifteen minutes to reach the tower if she ran.

"Hoo-ha! Hoo-ha!"

Through her desperate sprint, she managed to arrive at her destination at 2:55. Out of breath, she opened the door to Class A on the third floor, and as she entered, became flustered.

"Huh?"

The place looked different. The classroom was wider, with each student having a long magic table with elements such as soil, sand, wood fragments, and water placed on top of it.

"Ifrin! here!"

Julie raised her hand. Nodding, Ifrin stood next to her.

"Are you okay? I went to visit, but you didn't wake up. Is it serious?"

"No, I'm okay. It's just been a while since I slept well."

She had been suffering from insomnia since her father killed himself. She hadn't slept more than four hours a day for three years, so it was quite refreshing.

"I'm in my best condition."

"That's good to hear…"

The main door soon opened, and Professor Deculein came in. With him was a short wizard who wasn't familiar to her.

"Nice to meet you. I am Assistant Professor Allen."

"?!"

Everyone was surprised by the sudden announcement, especially Ifrin. Becoming an assistant professor meant they would no longer need permission from Deculein to fly since they could just use their accumulated record.

That was why Deculein never had an assistant professor before. Even her father worked under Deculein like a slave until he was thirty. As she imagined her father then, she felt a pull at the back of her neck. An assistant professor stood in front of them all. He had never had an assistant professor before, making her question why he decided to find one now.

"Like I said last week, today, too, is a time for learning."

Ifrin felt dizzy for a moment, so she pinched her thigh to steady herself.

"I'll give you five tasks that'll enable you to utilize my lessons. The results will be reflected in your grades, so take them seriously."

Then, Assistant Professor Allen moved busily and put a watch on each magic table.

"The tasks you're going to do are as follows."

Snap—!

He snapped his finger. The tasks floated in the air. The first was [Will o' the Wisp], followed by [Swallowed Mist], then [Rising Metal]—

"You have three hours. Begin."

The wizards quickly warmed up their magic. Ifrin also hurriedly put her hand on the elements on the table. First of all, [Will o' the Wisp].

She quickly grasped the hang of it since it was just a combination of the techniques of fire and properties of wind.

'No, a little bit of magic…no, it's not, instead of magic…'

Assistant Professor Allen passed by her. She unknowingly glared at him with sharp eyes.

Clang—!

At that moment, the circuit was disconnected, and her magic was broken. She bit her lips as she felt pain in her wrist. Her bracelet was burning up, signaling that something was wrong.

"Oh, wait a minute."

…She knew she did something wrong, but she couldn't decipher what it was. Her head was aching. Feeling restless, she lowered her head for a moment to calm down, but…

"[Will o' the Wisp] time check. Four minutes and one second."

'Already?!'

Ifrin looked around to find who it was. Unsurprisingly, it was Sylvia. Sylvia stuffed the table with [Will o' the Wisp] and was already working on the second task. Ifrin quickly resumed, but it was hard to concentrate.

"…Ugh!"

It was so strange. Her mana was moving as she desired, but with an empty stomach, her mind was shaking. Her hard-earned mana scattered. She miscalculated her formula, and her circuit was destroyed once more. Despite how hard she practiced, no matter how hard she tried, nothing went her way. The lower her confidence went, the more difficult the tasks became.

A voice still lingered in her ear like a vicious cycle.

'Beggar, beggar, beggar, beggar, beggar, beggar, beggar, beggar, beggar….'

She shouldn't care about it. There was no reason to dwell on it. It wasn't true, after all.

"Why am I…why in the world am I a beggar…?"

Out of breath, Ifrin's expression reflected her headaches. As she collapsed, Sylvia looked sideways.

"… Hmmph."

A faint breath leaked through her indifferent lips. Wizards weren't cold-hearted, composed, or tough. They were too fragile, brittle, and couldn't even handle their own emotions, making them nothing but wobbly, flawed losers. In the spirit of magic, they were weak and undulated.

"You're really out of the race now, Ifrin."

Sylvia drew attention with her low sigh.

"…Debutante Sylvia. Twenty-five minutes and fifteen seconds. All tasks have been completed."

She accomplished the tasks in less than half an hour. Neatly combined elements were on her desk, stuffed with magic.

"Professor."

Deculein approached her upon his assistant professor's call and looked at the results of her performance. Sylvia was a little nervous. There was also a hint of shame due to the obscene incident that occurred the last time they met.

"Sylvia."

Deculein's voice rang out.

"Yes."

She was prepared to retort. She wouldn't have applied for this lecture in the first place if it wasn't for the black sheep keeping her in check. But…

"These are flawless. You can go."

She received an unexpected compliment instead. Sylvia's eyes grew bigger. At the same time, she felt Ifrin's glare on her. She looked at her on purpose. Ifrin's hands shook as she hurriedly lowered her gaze. Even then, there was no progress to her tasks.

"…"

'You don't have to be jealous. You don't even have to care since it's a stage you can never reach. Just keep looking at me from below.'

"Thank you."

Sylvia bowed to Deculein and walked out of the classroom. As she passed by Ifrin to boast, she noticed something peculiar. Ifrin was quivering like a scared pup. Only then did Sylvia realize what she was feeling. Excitement.

The way the beggar collapsed felt so refreshing she couldn't stand it.

******

"Julie, you can go."

"Rehin, you can go."

"Eharon, you can go."

The wizards in the classroom were decreasing. From 150 to 100, 50, 25, and yet… Ifrin had only completed one task. There was no doubt about it. She was the last in the rankings right now.

"…"

Her mind was already blank. Still, she didn't give up. Forcefully, she squeezed magic out. The bracelet and mana resonated fiercely, but the [Swallowed Mist] showed no signs of manifesting.

Tuk— Tuk-tuk—

She tried releasing whatever mana was left within her, but her body couldn't hold on any longer. Her nose bled, causing dark red fluids to drop on the soil carving on her table.

"Dren, you can go."

In the meantime, his voice continued to fill the hall.

"Lawton, you can go."

As the people left one by one, her hands shook, and her knees went numb.

"Cain, you can go."

She felt as if she was living in a nightmare. At the same time, it was a frustrating reality she couldn't pass off as a dream.

"Doian, you can go."

And, finally…

"Eurojan, you can go."

"Yes!"

The last one with her passed. She was left alone.

"…"

She didn't want to give up, but it was already over before she could continue the fight. Ifrin dropped her arms.

Tap!

She then dropped her face on the table. Dirtied and with blood smeared on her face, her mind remained blank.

Tick— tock— tick— tock—

The entire classroom was empty.

Tick— tock— tick— tock—

"Head Professor, the time is up."

Assistant Professor Allen's voice blurred in the background.

"I'll be going now."

"Yes. Then I'll stay and…"

She couldn't hear them talking. She didn't even know why. Maybe the blood had covered her ears.

Thwang, thwang.

Ifrin tapped the table with her forehead, her body brimming with shame. She blamed herself for not being able to do it. She cried out revenge for her father, left home, pledging never to return home until she fulfilled it. Now, however, she felt pathetic for being unable to complete such simple tasks.

She buried her nose in the desk and cried.

Tick— tock— tick— tock—

The only thing that hadn't disappeared in the world was the sound of the clock.

Tick— tock— tick— tock—

How much time passed that way? How much time did she spend alone?

Tick— tock— tick—tock—

Ifrin slowly raised her head. The classroom had gone dark. Night had come.

"…Ugh."

She wiped her nose and eyes. All sorts of junk were stuck to her face. She tried to wipe everything off with her sleeves, but it just made an even bigger smudge on her face.

She was a total mess.

"Sigh…"

She released a sigh close to desperation. The lecture was already over. No, it ended a long time ago. More importantly, she blew it.

"…Hoo."

Her feelings of doubt and defeat were about to blow up. Her whole body felt heavy, so much so that she couldn't even move her legs properly.

"…"

When Ifrin took a step back to return to the dorms, her eyes grew as she casually looked at the platform. Her lips covered with sand opened unbiddenly.

"Huh…?"

He was still at the lecture desk. As usual, he was looking at her with an upright posture. She wasn't aware that he stayed behind. The sound of his voice flooded in her ears.

"…5 hours and 47 minutes."

His blue eyes were the only light in the dark, and inside those eyes, she looked pathetic and weak.

"Ifrin Luna."

Still cold, but he had a completely different tone from last night. His voice made her feel warm. She could no longer hear the chirping of the clock.

"How long are you going to keep me waiting?"

It was as if time itself had stopped.