Dilia, the princess of the Arpen Kingdom, embodied a unique heritage as a half-blood born of both human and fairy.
She was especially famous for receiving the blessing of mana from the moment of her birth. But there was more to her allure – an innate talent for magic that set her apart.
Is that why? From a young age, such exceptional traits led her to grow up with immense expectations, hailed as the future hope of the kingdom.
The year she turned eight.
The Kingdom invited a renowned mage to teach Dilia. And the person she met then was a girl with apricot-colored hair.
'Deflyn Chernihiv.'
The court mage of the Ruben Empire; she was one of the famous mages who had a reputation across the continent in her time.
What stood out the most was that Deflyn, like Dilia, was a human-fairy hybrid. So Dilia felt a kinship with her, and served her dutifully as her mentor.
'But....'
Not anymore.
Because she had realized the truth.
Deflyn saw her disciples not as students but as subjects for her experiments.
In the past, Deflyn had taken on dozens of students besides Dilia. However, most of those who learned magic from her became invalids due to reckless magical training.
They had practiced too much magic, and their hearts had been damaged by the runaway mana.
And among them, there was Dilia's step brother.
He was a cute younger brother who always greeted her with a bright smile. But after becoming Deflyn's disciple, he became an invalid within a week.
What was even more shocking was Deflyn's reaction upon hearing this news.
"Aah, a mana runaway, it seems."
Her voice showed no signs of agitation. She seemed calm, as if she had expected such an outcome.
"It's a shame. Though he may be human, he was somewhat like me, so I thought he might succeed. But it seems that the true potential of a mage lies not in humans but in fairies."
Dilia didn't expect tears or sorrow from her, but she hoped for a comforting word for her brother.
Yet, that didn't happen.
Instead, Deflyn spoke with a smile on her face, "Ordinary humans have their limitations, so you don't need to worry about them. Anyway, how far did we progress in the previous lesson?"
Seeing her casually bring up their past lessons, Dilia couldn't bear it and ran away from there, feeling nauseated.
From that day onward, Dilia chose to distance herself from Deflyn, refraining from attending any further lessons until she eventually left the kingdom altogether.
'But I can't believe....'
She never thought she'd run into her again in a place like this.
Moreover, her status had changed from the past. She was now the Dean of Arsenal Academy's Magic Department. This meant that whether she liked it or not, they would have to see each other in the future.
As she felt her head throbbing, a sudden gigantic shadow fell over her.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Dilia looked up. What she saw was a large young man with auburn hair tied back.
It was Ulan.
'The exhibitionist.'
That's what she thought when she first saw him.
The way he walked around with his upper body undressed, it was like watching someone with exhibitionism.
'The man who mistakes brute strength for magic.'
The next impression she had of him was during the exam; No matter how she looked at it, Ulan was a warrior. Moreover, a highly skilled one.
Why a man of his stature would take a magic aptitude test was beyond Dilia's comprehension.
'And....'
One more thing. She just noticed something.
Dilia's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she gazed at the broad back.
'A fascinating person.'
Ulan had grasped Deflyn's true nature in an instant.
Just by looking into her eyes.
He even managed to extract an oath of mana from her, despite knowing she was the Dean of the Magic Department.
As Dilia observed Ulan with intrigued eyes.
"The test begins!"
The voice of the assistant supervisor resounded.
And with the announcement of the start of the test, a giant mana golem soon appeared.
"For now, let's focus on the exam," Dilia thought after making her decision.
Soon after that, she began searching for the mana cores. Well, at least she intended to. But at that moment, Ulan moved first.
Wham! Whoosh!
Suddenly, he threw his axe.
The spinning axe flew and struck the golem core right in the middle of the golem's forehead, causing the massive golem to split neatly in half.
"...?"
Everything seemed to pause for a moment.
After a moment, Dilia, who had barely regained her senses, raised her voice to Ulan.
"Now, what are you doing!"
"It's fine. I'm used to hunting demonic beasts."
He replied nonchalantly, as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.
Ulan was completely calm after such an unexpected action.
"Until now, I've split numerous demonic beasts in half, but I've never found a core in the center."
"...."
Well, that's because this is a golem, not a demonic beast.
Dilia frowned. She felt her head throbbing just listening to his ignorant response.
At that moment, the mana golem began moving again.
Thankfully, it seemed the core wasn't destroyed. Letting out a relieved sigh, Dilia turned to Ulan while the golem began reconstructing itself.
'I'll find the location of the mana core, you go retrieve it.'
That's what she was about to say.
But before she could even form the words on her lips...
"Alright, I'll do that."
Ulan nodded before she even said anything.
She hadn't spoken yet, but Dilia furrowed her brows. However, when she heard what Ulan continued to say, she widened her eyes in surprise.
"You're trying to locate the mana core, aren't you?"
"...!"
The golden eyes flickered slightly.
It was a shocked expression, and it was understandable. It was as if he could read her mind.
"That, how?"
"Because you had that look on your face."
Ulan shrugged it off as no big deal.
He had spent so much time with the other Heroes in his past life that he had become accustomed to their habits and facial expressions.
So he has a rough idea.
What Dilia was trying to do.
"Anyway, I'll buy some time."
Without further ado, Ulan charged at the fully restored mana golem. With his axe swinging, he engaged in battle with the golem.
Thwack! Crash! Thump!
At first glance, it appeared to be an intense struggle, but the reality was different. Ulan dominated the battle completely, buying time with flawless control.
After a moment, the location of the mana core was revealed.
"To the right, on the thigh," Dilia's voice ceased.
Thud! Thud!
Ulan's axe neatly cleaved the designated area. Soon, the mana core was in his hand. Ulan grinned with satisfaction.
"At least we got one."
This was just the beginning.
Ulan and Dilia worked in perfect synchronization, retrieving one mana core after another.
Their speed far exceeded the average.
The other candidates watched in astonishment.
"Uh, that's incredibly fast."
"Were the mana golems that weak?"
"Are they the same age as us?"
Amazement, awe, jealousy, and envy mixed in the gazes they received.
With all the different looks they received, Ulan and Dilia realized that they were close to their final goal. And so it was, as they faced their fourth mana golem.
Dilia's eyebrows twitched.
"What was that just now?
For a moment, she felt an unfamiliar surge of mana.
As a precaution, she scanned the surroundings of the exam hall. In the process, her gaze met with Deflyn's.
"...!"
Pure desire burned in Deflyn's eyes; it was the intense gaze of a researcher driven by strong obsession.
Upon seeing this, Dilia had a gut feeling.
She must be up to something.
And then, suddenly...
Boom! Crash!
With a loud boom, the ground suddenly split in half.
A fifth mana golem had emerged.
It was different from the golems they had faced so far.
Its body swelled as if it would burst at any moment. The once calm eyes blazed like flames, and an enormous amount of mana spewed out like steam.
'A rampaging mana golem!'
A magic golem is a puppet powered by magic.
Mana golems were puppets moved by mana. If they were infused with more mana than they could handle, they were highly likely to go into overload and run amok.
And right here, right now, the only one who would do this was...
'Deflyn...!'
Dilia bit her lip tightly.
She had no idea why she had done this or what her intentions were. But what mattered more at this moment was dealing with the golem first.
And so, she quickly began chanting a spell, attempting to create a protective barrier.
However, time was woefully insufficient.
Wham! Crash!
The attacks rained down fiercely.
In the midst of that fearsome onslaught, her composure shattered in an instant. The spell was unfinished, and Dilia's face grew pale.
'No, it's too late!'
Anticipating the imminent pain, she tightly shut her eyes.
Thud! Thud!
A massive arm swung towards Dilia, as though the impact would crush a part of her body.
However, surprisingly, there was no pain.
What was that? Dilia cautiously opened her eyes. Then a look of surprise crossed her face. She had found someone she hadn't expected.
"Are you unharmed?"
It was Ulan. Dilia was puzzled.
Why was he here? Wasn't he supposed to be fighting far away? She felt flustered in the midst of confusion.
"You looked like you were in danger, so I came to save you."
He must have read my expression again.
While her golden eyes trembled with uncertainty, Ulan's voice reached her again.
"You're safe."
One last blunt word.
With a final blunt remark, Ulan's gaze turned firm. Then, he grabbed the arms of the mana golem and forcefully slammed it to the ground.
Boom!
The man golem was thrown upside down.
Soon, a giant fist flew toward it.
Wham! Thump! Thump! Crash!
A merciless barrage of punches.
She wondered why he didn't use his axe, but he must have left it behind when he came to save Dilia from danger.
'For me....'
She had vaguely heard such words before. For a warrior, a weapon was as crucial as life itself, they said
But to the extent of abandoning his weapon and coming all this way for her? Why? Dilia couldn't rid herself of the perplexing feeling.
And then, at that moment...
Pow!
The mana golem that Ulan was striking so defiantly exploded with a resounding noise. It meant that the mana core was destroyed.
Fragments soon scattered in all directions.
The examinees gasped and inhaled. Their eyes blinked rapidly as they stared at the scene with dazed faces.
The examination hall was suddenly silent.
After a while, various reactions followed.
"D-Did he really knock it down with his fists?"
"Did he defeat a mana golem with his bare hands...?"
"That was a rampaging golem, too."
"That barbarian, is he a real mage?!"
Amidst a flurry of reactions, Dilia's eyes caught sight of a large hand.
It was a handful of calluses—Ulan's hand. Still slumped on the ground, she looked up at him, her lips puckered in surprise.
"Why...me?"
"Because you're important."
The question was barely out of her mouth.
But Ulan gave a straightforward answer. At that moment, numerous thoughts flashed through Dilia's mind.
Important? What does he mean by that?
I just met Ulan today for the first time, didn't I?
Does he somehow know that I am a princess of the kingdom? Or is he a mercenary hired by the kingdom to be my bodyguard?
All sorts of speculations came to mind.
Dilia shook her head vigorously.
No answer would come from pondering it alone.
Instead, she should just ask him directly.
"What do you mean?"
Suppressing her trembling, she asked the question.
And then, Ulan, who had been answering with confidence, seemed to hesitate. He had a rather troubled look on his face. What could possibly be the reason for that expression?
His golden eyes flickered.
"This might sound a little weird, but...."
Ulan rattled off.
His words slurred and he scratched his head; as if trying to figure out what to say.
Then, suddenly, he crouched down to face Dilia. In a hushed voice, as if whispering, he said something only she could hear.
"We will be together in the future."
"...what, what?"
"In 10 years, no, 30 years, we will still be together, so I saved you. That's the only reason."
An answer she never could have imagined.
His words left her once again in a dazed expression.
Future? Thirty years? Together?
'That sounds like....'
Dilia's cheeks blushed ever so slightly.
Her eyes trembled with uncertainty, and she felt an unusual sensitivity throughout her body, with her heartbeat pounding in her chest like never before.
As she continued to unfold the wings of her imagination alone, Ulan spoke calmly.
"Don't think about it too much. It's not something you need to worry about right now."
No, how can she not overthink it when he suddenly says something like that?!
Dilia wanted to shout out in frustration.
But she couldn't. An unwelcome intruder had appeared between them.
"Wow, this is really interesting."
A cheerful voice, bouncing with energy.
A girl with apricot-colored hair.
"Who would have thought you could knock down a golem with your bare hands?"
The grinning mastermind behind this commotion
It was Deflyn Chernihiv.