It was when Isaac and the Thunderbird were engaged in a battle at Carly Hall.
"It's the black monster!"
As the Thunderbird subjugation party made their way to Carly Hall, they immediately recognized the adversary of the Thunderbird and the army of familiars.
An entity that appeared whenever demons emerged. If there was a being powerful enough to cast ice magic on such a large scale, it could only be the 'Black Monster'.
Ciel, who had participated in the subjugation party, narrowed her eyes. She suddenly thought of the silver-blue haired man.
Despite having a relatively small amount of mana, he possessed a mana perception that was incomparable to her own.
Mana perception was proportional to the maximum amount of mana one had.
Ciel wondered how he could have such a frightening mana perception despite being so weak, but a possibility that came to her mind tried to resolve this contradiction.
"Could it be…"
What if the black monster was the silver-blue haired man who had been groveling just a while ago?
A terrifying battle had taken place in Carly Hall.
Ciel had always thought she was talented and strong, but she felt that if she had been caught in that battle, she would have faced an end that was more futile than that of a mayfly1This is referring to how Mayflies only live for up to 24 hours.
The end of an insect trampled by a passerby would have been more spectacular.
Of course… this was just her suspicion. She might have mistakenly labeled an innocent person as a powerful being.
'Well, that would be ridiculous.'
Due to her disdain for running, Ciel supported the rear of the subjugation party while walking up the hill.
Eventually, her familiar, which she had secretly sent into the sky, flew back to her.
'Zabet', a purple bat familiar with the lightning element landed on her shoulder. It flapped its wings with a surprised look on its face.
[Ci-Ciel! You were right! It was him! The one who was with you earlier!]
Zabet had urgently descended after it confirmed the situation just before the Thunderbird and Isaac had clashed. Although it had been swept up in the violent storm that followed their clash, it wasn't injured.
Ciel closed her eyes slightly as she looked at the fussing Zabet. It was the moment when her suspicion turned into certainty.
It was said that every year, extraordinarily powerful individuals would enroll into Märchen Academy. It seemed that this year's freshmen were no exception.
Furthermore, the fact that it was not Luce Eltania, but someone who couldn't even be compared to the powerful top seat.
Only now did Ciel realize it.
After the situation had ended. Above the old Märchen Academy.
[Boo─, boo─.]
A round, balloon-like creature was floating in the sky.
Its arms and legs were submerged into its swollen body, and its grotesque, layered face was enough to disgust anyone.
Its yellowish-brown skin had a pattern that was like cracks on a dry rice field.
All that came out of its mouth was the foolish 'Boo' sound.
From the end of semester evaluation to the Thunderbird Subjugation.
That powerless balloon demon watched all the scenes with its [Clairvoyance] ability.
The closed eyelids slowly rose. The cold, bloodshot eyes looked down at the ground.
Heinkel the Hoarder. Although he was powerless right now, he was one of the worst calamities. He watched Isaac, who was admiring the [Tree of Radiance], in silence.
[Boo─, boo─.]
Soon, Heinkel the Hoarder hid his tracks above the clouds.
* * *
The academy's staff had to go through all sorts of trouble after the appearance of a demon and the Thunderbird Subjugation. It involved on-site investigations, uncovering the truth, investigating the victims, persuading investors who had a significant share in the academy's finances, analyzing the causes of the incident, ways to improve security, etc… The academy was putting all its manpower into it.
This Thunderbird incident wasn't just significant, it was too significant. If it had gone wrong, it could have resulted in numerous casualties.
Ultimately, when summer vacation arrived, the imperial knights who had heard the news about the Märchen Academy would come. The situation would continue to escalate, and the academy's staff would rack their brains to the point that it bled.
Luce attended the Truth Investigation Committee as the owner of Thunderbird Galia. However, since it was clear that the demons had forcibly summoned Thunderbird Galia against Luce's will, there was no reason to punish the innocent girl.
However, Thunderbird Galia was an 8-star magic beast. If the nation-destroying magic beast caused havoc for any reason, the academy couldn't leave it alone. They needed to ensure that the familiar was safe.
The problem was that Luce was currently in a state of mana exhaustion, which made it difficult to even use the most basic of elemental spells, let alone summoning her familiar.
No matter how much mana someone had, the speed at which mana recovered would drastically drop when mana was depleted. No, even the expression 'drastically' was an understatement. It would take about a week for Luce's condition to return to normal.
In the end, the academy asked for Luce's understanding and decided to place her in quarantine until she recovered.
They also assigned someone to supervise Luce.
"Is this the room of the clueless junior who made me suffer~?"
Charles Hall, a luxurious dormitory reserved for only the top-ranking students of Märchen Academy.
Luce, dressed in a comfortable one-piece, sat on her bed with a blanket over her head. It was only after a lavender-haired woman in a witch's hat entered the room that a thick, fog-like threatening aura began to emanate from her.
Supervisor, Dorothy Heartnova. She had an atmosphere of being aloof towards Luce's childish gaze. As a result, the atmosphere between Luce and Dorothy created a distinct contrast that clearly divided the room in half.
After all, Dorothy was said to be a natural disaster. An existence that couldn't be bound by any law or rule. Luce's murderous gaze was nothing more than a passing ant to Dorothy.
Dorothy covered her eyes with a handkerchief and wandered around Luce's room like an adventurer exploring an area that had yet to be discovered.
Luce was annoyed by her behavior.
But since she was in a state of mana exhaustion, she had no means to oppose Dorothy and just ground her teeth in silence.
"Nyahaha! This room perfectly reflects your personality! What's with the interior, there's not a single cute corner!"
"…"
"There's not even a single teddy bear! Are you poor? Do you want to borrow one of mine?"
"…"
"Kyaaa, what's this? It's a cursed doll used in black magic! Our junior has a shady hobby~ Oh, can I try putting our junior's hair in it when I'm bored? That's fine, right?"
"Get out if you came here to pick a fight."
Luce, unable to bear it any longer, finally spoke up. They were the first words she had spoken in the 10 minutes since Dorothy arrived. She spoke her mind, regardless of whether the other person was her senior or the strongest powerhouse of the academy.
But Dorothy, as if she knew it would happen, opened her crescent-shaped eyes and approached Luce with a mischievous smile.
Dorothy sat on the edge of the bed and tilted her head at Luce. Luce intentionally avoided eye contact with Dorothy.
"Junior, you noticed something strange, right?"
"…"
"You don't have to suppress that electric chicken anymore."
Luce frowned. Then she finally made eye contact with Dorothy.
Dorothy's pupils always shined like a universe embroidered with starlight. The star-shaped pupils were still there. They were as unreal as ever.
She had made a contract with the star fairy, Stella. Her eyes were uniquely altered under the fairy's influence. Luce heard that story when she was with Isaac.
At that time, Luce didn't care about the details of the conversation, she just enjoyed her time with Isaac and quietly listened.
It was clear that this unpleasant senior was a strong individual.
Luce didn't think it was strange for Dorothy to find out she had been pouring half of her total mana, which amounted to all of her lightning mana, at all times to suppress the Thunderbird.
Luce only reacted to the fact that she no longer needed to suppress the Thunderbird.
Luce, the master of Thunderbird Galia, had clearly felt that he had been freed from the chains of various curses and returned to being a docile familiar. Now it was unknown what her own condition would be once her mana had recovered.
However, one thing was certain.
Luce would now be able to use her full power.
If nothing else, it further cemented herself as the strongest first-year in the Magic Department.
"…Galia is free now."
"I know, the electric chicken is a good boy."
"Stop calling him an electric chicken. It makes Galia feel insignificant."
Luce's attitude was still cold.
Nevertheless, aside from Isaac, Dorothy was the person who had talked to Luce the most. Luce had a tendency to ignore what people said in the first place.
It was probably because she saw Dorothy's face often.
"Nihihi."
Dorothy laughed innocently as she got off the bed and started heading towards the doorway.
"That's the end of this surveillance."
"Already…? The academy said to watch me for three days…"
"It's annoying!"
Dorothy's short and concise answer convinced Luce in an instant.
"So, junior, you have to stay here quietly, okay?"
Dorothy flashed Luce a mischievous smile, opened the door and went out into the hallway.
As Dorothy disappeared, the room fell silent. It was a dramatic shift in atmosphere.
Finally, the nuisance was gone. Luce let out a deep sigh of relief.
Plop.
Luce laid down on the bed and quietly stared at the ceiling. Now that she was alone, many thoughts began to fill her mind again.
Greung. He came to save her again. As expected, he was a man who had concealed his identity with a Magic Cloak of Disguise, and it seemed that the disguise had been undone as his cloak was damaged while fighting the demons.
At that time, her vision was so blurred that she couldn't make out his appearance properly.
However, from the size of Greung's hand that had touched her body and the outline of his shoulders, Luce could only think of one man.
"Isaac…"
She wanted to hold Isaac's hand right away and compare it to the size and feel of Greung's hand from her memory.
Of course, if she thought about it rationally, it was obvious that the two people couldn't be the same person.
Let's assume that Isaac was a strong individual like Greung. Then how could one explain Isaac's mana capacity, magic skills, and the fact that he trained so diligently every day?
'But…'
Ice element. Hand size. Shoulder outline.
Luce, who could remember everything, wasn't one to rely on intuition. However, her intuition was screaming at her right now.
I want to believe that Greung's true identity is Isaac.
Maybe she had felt this way since the class placement evaluation. The intuition she had been continuously ignoring might have tried to persuade Luce all along that Isaac was Greung.
Maybe that was why she felt so close to Isaac… she didn't know.
"…"
Finally listening to her intuition, Luce quickly got off her bed and headed towards the doorway.
She had been saved twice by that mysterious man. She couldn't help but be drawn to him.
Whenever she thought of him, the sound of her heart fiercely resonated, piercing through the silence. Even for Luce, who had never built relationships or interacted with people, it wasn't that difficult to recognize the nature of this unfamiliar emotion that she was experiencing for the first time.
Her chest was throbbing. She felt like she was going crazy. Only by finding out the identity of Greung could the turmoil inside her heart subside.
Let's quickly find out if Isaac was Greung. It was time to resolve the conflict between reason and intuition, and calm the throbbing in her chest.
Just as she was about to grab the doorknob…
Charara─!
"Ouch!"
Her hand stung, and she quickly stepped back. A brief cluster of stars appeared and then faded into the doorknob.
A small note that was barely stuck under the doorknob fell to the floor due to the shock from earlier. As she picked it up, a short sentence and a drawn figure with a witch's hat came into view.
[Didn't I tell you not to go out? Get some rest! I'll bring you food!]
A shadow appeared in the corner of Luce's eyes. She clenched her fist and ruthlessly crumpled the note.
Afterward, she tried to escape through the window, but it was to no avail. Luce's frustration grew even deeper.
* * *
[Status] Name: Isaac
Lv: 60
Gender: Male
Year: 1st
Title: Freshman
Mana: 1800/1800
– Mana Recovery Speed (C)
– Stamina (B-)
– Strength (B-)
– Intelligence (C+)
– Willpower (A-) Potential ❰❰Details❱❱ [Combat Skills] Elemental Series 1: Ice
– Elemental Firepower (B-)
– Elemental Efficiency (B-)
– Elemental Synergy (B-)
Elemental Series 2 (Locked) [Owned Skills] Active
– (★1) Ice Generation (B-) / (★5) Black Ice (B-)
– (★2) Ice Curtain(B-)
– (★1) Cold Divergence (B+)
– (★1) Basic Protection Magic (D+)
– (★4) Frostfire (C+)
– (★4) Ice Wall (C+)
– (★5) Frost Explosion (C-)
– (★2) Snow Pellets (C)
Passive
– (★7) Psychological Insight
– (★5) Demon Detection
– (★9) Ice Sovereign Skill Tree ❰❰Details❱❱ [Unique Attributes] – Hunter [Potential] Stat Points: 0 ◈ Growth Rate – Physical Training Efficiency (B+): 56/100 [UP]
– Magic Training Efficiency (A): 71/100 [UP]
– Learning Efficiency (B+): 51/100 [UP] ◈ Elemental Resistance – Fire Resistance (D-): 10/100 [UP]
– Water Resistance (D+): 16/100 [UP]
– Ice Resistance (C+): 34/100 [UP]
– Lightning Resistance (B-): 39/100 [UP]
– Rock Resistance (D): 12/100 [UP]
– Wind Resistance (C-): 18/100 [UP]
– Neutral Magic Resistance (D+): 18/100 [UP] ◈ vs. Race Combat Power – vs. Human Combat Power (E): 4/100 [UP]
– vs. Other Races Combat Power (E): 1/100 [UP]
– vs. Heavenly Beings Combat Power (E): 0/100 [UP]
– vs. Demon Combat Power (S): 100/100 [MAX] [Familiar] Eden (Lv: 50)
Grade: ★3
Race: Magic Beast
Elements: Rock
Bond: 65
Synchronization: 20
Summoning Mana Consumption: 40
– Owned Skills
Four days had passed since the end of the Thunderbird Subjugation and Luce's quarantine.
During this time, the academy's staff gathered the students and explained in detail what had happened during the end of semester evaluation for the first-years of the Magic Department. They announced a retest, however, bonus points would be rewarded to students who had already passed the end of semester evaluation or had a Fell Card before the incident took place.
Naturally, those who had already passed the evaluation objected, but they reluctantly accepted the majority's opinion that it was a dangerous event that endangered the lives of the students. Well, that was the power of the majority.
There was a retest in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ as well. It was something I had already anticipated.
In any case, the first semester grades were determined by a combination of the scores from the exams and the performance evaluations taken so far. Because of this, it was a huge advantage to have bonus points while retaking the same exam.
Of course, I was the one who received the most bonus points. However, due to my surrender during the duel performance evaluation, it was difficult to expect a good grade for the first semester.
And intuitively, I felt that the ice buff [Black Ice] imbued with darkness mana did not go well with [Ice Sovereign].
In particular, it was difficult to use [Black Ice] on ice magic that was 7-star or higher. It felt like forcibly connecting and operating circuits that didn't mesh well, it was simply inefficiency.
In other words, the cost-effectiveness of increasing the power of high level magic wasn't worth it.
Moreover, the mana consumption almost tripled. In other words, unless I was in a short battle, it would be best to use [Black Ice] sparingly.
I invested 5 stat points in [Physical Training Efficiency] and 16 points in [Learning Efficiency] with the 21 new stat points I acquired.
My elemental resistance increased by 10 for each element, thanks to unlocking the achievement during the Thunderbird subjugation. The minimum requirement to reach Hilde's Frostscythe was an [Ice Element Resistance] of 60 or more. With the Elemental Bracelet, I could now surpass that threshold.
This was largely due to the early appearance of Leafa the Illusive, who should have appeared in the second semester. I had planned to acquire it before the end of the first year, but the condition to obtain it was met before the second semester.
In other words, I plan to obtain Hilde's Frostscythe, the ultimate ice elemental weapon, during this vacation. Just by holding that legendary weapon, the power of ice magic would be enhanced.
"Luce Eltania, are you ready?"
In broad daylight, on the beach.
The beach near Märchen Academy was so beautiful that it could be called a closed tourist attraction. The fine white sand reflected the sunlight, and the view of the emerald sea swaying was dazzling.
A female student was the only one dipping her feet in the water. Her rose-gold hair fluttered in the sea breeze. It was Luce Eltania.
Under the watchful eyes of the academy's staff, Luce nodded her head at Professor Fernando's question.
The academy had brought along high-ranking wizards and Dorothy Heartnova, who was considered one of the strongest within the academy. This was to ensure the safety of the 8-star familiar, Thunderbird Galia. They needed to be prepared for any potential battles.
Currently, Luce had recovered enough mana to summon the Thunderbird. The fact that she could summon an 8-star familiar in just four days after being in a state of mana exhaustion meant that her mana recovery speed was insanely fast.
And I, hidden behind a tree near the beach, secretly watched the scene unfold.
Luce stretched her left arm out towards the sea.
Soon after, Professor Fernando instructed Luce to summon the Thunderbird Galia.
The seal on Luce's left wrist began to emit a purple light.
Whooooosh── Kaboooom────!!!
In an instant, dark clouds covered the sky, and purple thunder fiercely roared.
From the purple lightning mana cluster that began to waver in the air emerged the black Thunderbird. 'Thunderbird Galia' had revealed himself.
────────[Squaaaaaaawk────!!]
[Thunderbird Galia] Lv: 175
Race: Magic Beast
Elements: Lightning
Danger: X
Psychology: [He is relieved that Luce Eltania seems to be fine.]
Thunderbird Galia landed on the shallow water of the sea and locked eyes with Luce.
While everyone held their breath, Luce seemed to be the only one who showed anticipation.
Galia gently touched her cheek with the top of his large beak.
Then, Luce tenderly embraced Galia's head.
"Why… did you come back only now… Why…?"
The normally blunt and cold Luce.
Had her head down and sobbed.
To Luce, Galia was the only being who shared memories of their time in the candy house. Even though Hansel died and the Witch of the Candy House also died, Galia had survived despite being cursed.
So, one of Luce's dearest wishes was to restore Galia to his original state.
That wish was now fulfilled, right here at this moment.
Galia lowered his eyes. After years of being engulfed by his destructive instincts due to the Evil Dragon's Curse, he must have felt extremely sorry for the burden he had placed on Luce.
The academy staff silently watched Luce and the Thunderbird's reunion. Luce tightly hugged Galia for a while.
Someday, she would become a high-ranking Tower Master, wielding great influence within the Empire and making history.
It was this moment, the realization of her dream to restore Galia, that marked the beginning of that journey.
…
On a dark night, at Doris Hall, the dormitory for lower-ranked students.
I was drying my wet hair with a towel. I had just taken a shower after I finished my daily training.
When I returned to my room, all sorts of idle thoughts that hadn't crossed my mind while training suddenly surfaced.
Among them, the most prevalent thought was undoubtedly about Kaya.
I wanted to convey my gratitude to her for using [Tree of Radiance], even if indirectly.
However, Kaya seemed to be deliberately avoiding me as of late.
Well, it wasn't in a bad way. According to [Psychological Insight], she was always happy to see me.
She also blatantly blushed and looked embarrassed whenever she saw me. It seemed like she had developed personal feelings for me as a man.
'It's probably because Kaya and I had experienced various things together.'
I had a rough idea of when I dealt a fatal blow to Kaya's heart. It must have been when we went to the ant nest and during the end of semester evaluation.
The day we went to defeat Garzia the Hermit, we had to sleep together, which couldn't be helped.
During the fierce battle at the end of semester evaluation, I handed Kaya the Armana Wand from behind. I thought I had no choice since I was desperate at the time…
It's true that I was careless with someone who had no immunity to men. I reflect on that.
Of course, if a girl as pretty as Kaya became my girlfriend, I'd be so happy that I'd strip, do a grand jete2Grand Jete refers to a dance move in ballet where the dancer does a leap in the air and kicks both legs in opposite directions of each other, resulting in a sort of mid-air split, a 360-degree headspin, and then show off an aerial somersault while shouting "Hoo!" at the top of my lungs.
However, I was not in a situation where I could comfortably date someone. At least not until I defeated the Evil God.
Moreover, there were various tangled threads of problems with Kaya that needed to be resolved first.
In the first place, I wasn't irresistibly attracted to Kaya. Deeply dwelling on it now would only interfere with my training. So, I would have to think about the Kaya issue later.
With that in mind, I got dressed.
「Water Generation (Water Element, ★1)」
Splaaash──!
"…?"
Suddenly, I heard the sound of water pouring from the window. It wasn't a sudden downpour. Someone had poured the water.
I walked over to the window and flung it wide open.
Outside the dormitory, under the moonlit night, a female student with rose-gold hair and a tiny floating killer whale waved at me.
I never thought that Luce would come to see me personally…
Although it was summer, the night was still cool. I put on a thin coat and left the dormitory.
On the roadside of Märchen Academy's living quarters, a street composed of glowing lamps illuminated Luce, who was standing on a macadam-style street. She was wearing a one-piece dress with a cardigan.
As soon as Luce saw me, she unsummoned Bello and stood in a somewhat humble posture. Her usual faint smile adorned her lips.
[Luce Eltania] Lv: 150
Race: Human
Elements: Water, Lightning
Danger: X
Psychology: [She is happy to see you.]
Luce Eltania's level had skyrocketed. The status window had recalibrated her power to be level 150.
Now that Galia had returned to his original state, she could fully preserve her inherent lightning mana.
In other words, it would be more accurate to say that she had returned to her original level. Luce was naturally very strong.
By the way, as a player leveled up, they received potential stats and took less damage from lower level enemies.
However, other characters' levels were simply based on their combat abilities. The criteria for determining levels itself were inherently different.
"It's been a while, Luce. Is your quarantine over?"
Luce nodded her head.
"What's going on?"
"I missed you, Isaac."
For a moment, I took a deep breath. Sometimes, the words Luce casually uttered dealt a fatal blow to my heart.
It wasn't a statement made out of a desire to become lovers. Luce simply had a style of fully opening her heart as soon as it opened a little, so she was quite close to me. The only thing was that the barrier for entry was extremely high.
Moreover, she had built walls in her relationship with others due to her troubled past.
So, she had no grasp of how much psychological distance to maintain as a friend, where to draw the line, and what things you shouldn't say in a friendship.
Therefore, I could understand and move past Luce's unconscious flirting.
"Are you okay? I heard you went through a lot. I was worried, but I couldn't visit you because you were in quarantine."
"…!"
[Luce Eltania] Psychology: [She is happy that you were worried about her.]
…It seemed like I needed to be more careful with my words as well.
"I-I'm okay. Isaac, I want to ask for a favor… Can you listen?"
Luce, who always started with dull remarks, seriously asked me for a favor, which meant it was definitely an important request.
Luce must have gone through many significant emotional changes recently. She had caused unintended harm to people due to the Thunderbird Subjugation incident, and she had fulfilled her wish to return Galia to his normal state. She must have been in the process of sorting out her complicated feelings.
It was like that in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.
"What favor?"
I was ready to help Luce with whatever she had to say.
If I fulfill your request, I hope you can sort out your complicated emotions and, as usual, give me dull remarks and talk about trivial things.
So, I will do my best to fulfill whatever request you have.
With that in mind, I paid close attention to what Luce would say next.
"…Can I hold your hand?"
Chirp chirp─
The sound of insects was loud. The silence was due to me being at a loss for words.
Luce subtly extended her right hand. As if she wanted me to quickly hold it. As I took in the sight of her slender and delicate hand, I couldn't even properly open my mouth.
I looked back at Luce, who avoided my gaze with her head lowered.
"I want to hold hands with Isaac."
On a summer night.
Her voice, as soft as the moonlight etched in the sky, tickled the air.
I was reminded of how truly beautiful Luce's voice was.
At that moment, my rationality faltered, and I couldn't think of anything.
All I could do was stare at Luce's outstretched hand for a long time.
And there we stood, beneath the streetlight.
Oh so quietly, with our heads lowered.
Footnotes:
1This is referring to how Mayflies only live for up to 24 hours.
2Grand Jete refers to a dance move in ballet where the dancer does a leap in the air and kicks both legs in opposite directions of each other, resulting in a sort of mid-air split.