"....."
Her face remained blank as she felt a presence behind her. Taking note of the change in expressions of Evelyn and Luxon, Aoife had an idea of what was going on.
She coolly turned her head.
"You're here."
He stood taller than her, her height just barely reaching his chin.
'He heard, didn't he?'
There was no way he hadn't.
"....I am."
Indeed, hearing his confirmation, Aoife closed her eyes briefly. Then, collecting her thoughts, she spoke,
"Did you hear what I said?"
"I have."
Julien continued to stare at her with his usual detached eyes.
Aoife calmly stared into those eyes.
'Those arrogant eyes... I wonder how long you'll be able to keep them like that?'
Regardless of whether he had heard her or not, she didn't care. Her goal had always been to reach the top. Become the Zenith.
The fact that she wasn't ranked first in her year was already a huge blow to her ambition.
It wasn't something she had expected.
And for there to be two people who stood above her...
How could she accept something like this?
Therefore...
"The Black Star is not just a title. It is something that comes with responsibility. The situation is as is because you aren't doing your job."
Aoife didn't care if she came off as uptight, or annoying. There was a little truth in that. She was self-aware of that much.
However, her words were the truth and the truth only.
"It is your duty to make sure that all sides get along. Not me, but yours."
"....."
Aoife expected Julien to say something back, refute her words, and dismiss her in some way. Give her an excuse to openly challenge him.
However...
That never came.
Julien's expression eased and he took a step back. Without saying a single word, he turned around to glance into the distance. Where the other students were.
"....What am I supposed to do?"
Aoife's brows raised in surprise.
Her reaction was the mildest one. The one who had the greatest reaction was Evelyn who opened her eyes and looked at Julien with an expression that seemed as though she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
No, she really couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"I never asked to be the Black Star..."
He started to speak while glancing into the distance. His hazel eyes shone under the light of the sun while his well-kept hair swayed lightly under the breeze.
Aoife quietly listened to his words, her hands silently tensing. She was expecting him to look at her in disdain while saying something along the lines of, 'Do it yourself. Don't bother me with these meaningless tasks.'
She could already envision the scene in her mind.
"...But just because I didn't ask to become the Black Star doesn't mean that I don't care for it. I have it, so I'd like to keep it."
However, to her surprise, he did none of that.
Rather, he did something completely out of her expectations.
"So..."
Lowering his head slightly, he deeply looked at everyone present.
".....Tell me what I'm supposed to do when the time comes."
Following his words, he walked past them.
Aoife stood dazed even as his scent faded away.
"...."
She just stood blankly on the spot.
The same was true for the others.
"Did he just..."
Luxon was the first one to break the silence as his head turned to stare at the departing Julien.
He turned to look at Leon.
"Didn't you say he wasn't going to do it? Was that just a lie? "
".....No."
Similarly confused, Leon's head turned to stare at Julien's back. Judging from his expression, he too seemed shocked by the situation.
Even though the situation turned out for the better...
'I don't like this.'
'Without meaning to, I got swept in his rhythm.'
Aoife was annoyed. Her neck heated and her hands tingled.
His mannerisms and the matter-of-fact tone he spoke with... It made it seem as though he was treating her as his servant.
'Why am I the one that is supposed to tell you?'
'You said you wanted to keep your role but demand others to tell you how to do that role...'
No, if you really wanted to do something, you'd already have done it by now. Just say a word or two... Show them your presence. Interfere personally. We shouldn't be the ones to tell you what you're supposed to do.
I'm not your secretary.
"What should we do? Should we gather the leaders of the factions to talk to him?"
Luxon asked tactlessly. Aoife secretly clenched her teeth and kept her expression firm.
".....You figure that out amongst yourselves."
She then went on to leave on her own.
"Eh? Aoife...! Where are you going?"
"...."
Tak—
Aoife kept walking despite hearing her name getting called out repeatedly by Luxon.
'How laughable.'
The entire situation was.
She wanted his help.
....And yet.
When he offered his help, she found herself growing mad.
Hypocrisy?
Maybe...
But it also became clear to Aoife.
The entire reason she was acting this way.
She had thought she had managed to bury such emotions—weaknesses—deep within her mind, but...
"...."
She silently stared at her hand. It was trembling slightly.
The reality of the situation hit her and her face cracked.
"Heh..."
A laugh escaped.
"...How ridiculous. Me of all people..."
Indeed.
She was jealous.
***
It was late into the night, and I was back in my room.
In this familiar environment, I sat down on the ground and stared at my hand. A beautiful purple magic circle hovered above the tips of my fingers.
Drip... Drip...
Even as sweat dripped from my head, I kept my gaze fixed on the circle in front of me.
"I... really did it."
I still couldn't believe it.
The reality that was displayed in front of me.
I... could finally use my first true spell. Outside of Emotive Magic, this was my very first spell.
Ziiing—
I gently lifted my hand up, inserting it into the magic circle which slowly moved down. Gradually, my hand started to change, turning completely purple.
Just like last time, purple spots started to appear in my vision.
The furthest one was all the way toward the end of the living room. About fifteen meters away.
"....Is that the limit of my range?"
I moved back and the purple spot followed after.
"Seems to be the case."
I pushed my hand forward and lightly tapped on the spot.
Swoosh—!
Tangible purple hands began to sprout from the ground. One... Two... Three... Four... There were a total of four. They rose from the ground and tried to latch on to whatever was on top of them.
This persisted for several seconds before the hands shattered.
"Haaa... Haaa..."
By the time the spell was done, I was on my last breath.
My mana reserves were almost depleted. I had been at it for quite a while so it was only natural that I was tired.
"Five..."
That was the amount of times I could use the spell before running out of mana.
My current limit.
"Hooo..."
I lay on the floor with my arms wide.
I was tired.
I was exhausted.
I was on my last breath.
But...
"Haha..."
I think...
I was addicted.
***
10:00 A.M. Karlson Hall.
The Karlson Hall was where the training grounds were located. The facility was extremely large, with over a thousand square meters of space, it was massive.
Today was an unusual class.
"Progression Analysis. Every quarter we will examine the cadet's progression throughout the year. There will be three things measured in the test. First, mana quantity and quality. Second, physical fitness, and lastly, mind endurance."
The professor in charge, a tall woman with long blonde hair and green eyes, Olivia J. Kelson started to explain.
"With the institute trying to ready you to enter the Mirror Dimension, it is important that we focus on all three aspects. Even if you are a mage, maintaining your body to a certain standard is necessary. In the chance that you find yourself in a situation where you can't defeat your opponent and are forced to run, your physical stamina will be an important factor."
She went on to talk about the importance of each testing point and how it would benefit us in the long term.
I carefully listened to each one of her words and made sure to take notes in my mind.
I was still a stranger to this world, and although what she was saying could be perceived as 'common sense'. Not all common sense applied to me.
There were certain things that I was unaware of.
"I will now divide you into three groups. There, you will follow your assigned assistant to take on the testing."
Names started to get called out one by one. Alongside the names, she'd point toward a certain assistant.
"Ravenscroft Luxon."
"Dangrove Rose."
"Ellert Leon."
"Tiperl Josephine."
"Megrail Aoife."
"Mylne Kiera."
"Verlic Evelyn."
.
.
.
"Evenus Julien."
When my name was called out, there was a certain pause before the professor frowned and pointed toward a large bald man. He stood tall, towering over my figure, and his thick eyebrows were knit into a frown as he stared at me.
For some reason, I felt the impression that he didn't quite like me...
Was it just me?
'Maybe.'
It could just be that he just looked intimidating.
For now, under the watchful eyes of all the students and staff, I made my way toward my group. A couple of familiar faces entered my vision when I walked forward.
More specifically a girl with long white hair and red eyes.
I stared at her for a brief moment and as if she could sense my gaze, her head turned and our eyes met.
Immediately, her face turned to one of displeasure. Loathing almost.
'...I guess she still remembers the incident from before.'
The one regarding the cigarette.
Indeed, that was my fault. I shouldn't have acted like that.
"Hurry along, we don't have all day to wait for you."
A rough voice directed itself toward me. When I looked up, I saw the assistant professor glaring at me from the distance.
Ah—
This guy...
He really did hate me after all.
But why...?
"...."
Knowing about the possible agenda against me, I kept my mouth shut and joined the group.
And as if I had some godly timing, the moment I joined the ground, the professor was done recounting all the names.
"I'm done over here."
She looked toward the assistant professors and announced.
"You may begin with the tests. Group one, please head toward the physical test. Group two, head for the mana test, and group three... Please proceed to the mental test."
We were group two which meant that our test was the mana test.
A part of me already dreaded the test knowing that my performance was going to be awful, but at the same time... I couldn't wait for the test.
What other people cared about me or whatnot. That was meaningless to me. What I cared about the most was seeing my current level.
Get a general idea of my overall level so that I could gauge the areas I needed to improve on.
"Once everyone is done with the test, we'll alternate sections. Off you go."
These were the last words of the professor before we were led by our respective assistant professors toward our designated section.
The space was large.
About the size of a classroom.
In the space, a large magic circle was drawn on the ground where a large table sat and three orbs appeared.
"This is the Mana Resonance Assessment."
The rough voice of the assistant professor began to spread.
"The test is simple. There are three orbs on the table. Each orb has its own distinctive function."
He pointed toward the orbs.
"The one on the left measures your mana quantity. The one in the middle measures your mana purity, and the one on the right measures your mana control. All you have to do is place your hand over the orb and channel your mana. A grade will be given to you after the test has ended."
Just as he said those words, his gaze fell on me.
I knew at that moment exactly what was about to happen. And he proved me right as he pointed toward the orbs.
"Julien..."
He called out my name, almost chewing on it.
"You're first."
***
Bonus chapter for Power Stone Goal. You guys are killing it—me.