A child.
That's what he was.
There was nothing to it other than that. The being that kneeled before me was nothing more than a toddler in a teenager's flesh. Perhaps he held power exceeding a normal student, but that was it.
Beneath my indifferent gaze, he kneeled.
No, his pride kneeled.
I glanced at Mr. Pate, who shook his head with meaning. I released a sigh before silently walking away from the battleground, sheathing my sword. The power enveloping me vanished in an instant.
At that moment, intense exhaustion assaulted my body, alongside a sharp pain that almost made me fall to my knees. I grabbed my chest, where the pain was most prominent while enduring the urge to vomit blood.
I couldn't show weakness here.
Managing to maintain a normal expression, I endured the exhaustion.
A few seconds passed, and Aiden stood up, his face dyed with a helpless expression. He glanced at me before entering the crowd of students. He was undoubtedly stronger than me, but Roland's Legend…
That was what had won me the fight.
Had it not had any effect on him, the raw power I could utilize from the Legend was insufficient to neutralize his lightning. Frankly, I would have bet against myself 10/10 times, as it was practically impossible for me to overcome that defense.
It was only through his mind that I could make him surrender.
But it wouldn't have worked on someone with a stronger mind.
I couldn't consider this a victory.
***
Star Magic, I'd decided to call it.
It was through the stars that I could call upon Legends. Well, I couldn't call them, but Roland seemed to have appeared while I stared intently at the stars. What emotion had I felt at that time?
Ah, right.
It was frustration. Immense frustration that Harold had forgotten my coffee.
So frustration, alongside the alignment of the correct stars, had resulted in me having to watch Roland's Legend. Moreover, I'd gotten the ability to wield a fraction of Roland's power and the might of Durendal for a limited period.
Only up until I could handle it.
Perhaps it was the first of its kind, because nowhere in the history books could I find any mention of something related to "Star Magic" or anything of the sort. I felt proud, but also somewhat suspicious.
Was Ryan Hawk supposed to have gotten this?
Or was it because I'd transmigrated into his body?
And was this Star Magic related to the vision he saw when he first arrived in Melisande? The one with the sea monster.
He wasn't certain.
There were just too many mysteries surrounding his life that he couldn't focus on unraveling just one.
He took a glance at the sky.
The clouds seemed to envelop the stars in a blanket of darkness. The night was devoid of a moon, too. Only an empty abyss seemed to stare back if one looked up.
I ignited Star Magic for the second time today. Although I'd taken a nap to relieve myself of the intense exhaustion that came after using Star Magic, I still seemed to be somewhat affected by it.
However, the more I seemed to use it, the more accustomed to the after-effects I became.
So, using it more often was the solution.
Roland's Legend enhanced my physical body and gave the weapon I wielded the strength of Durendal (in theory) but at the cost of draining the entirety of my tiny Arcana reserves that I'd unlocked through Star Magic.
Moreover, it also caused intense exhaustion after using it, which meant I was as useful as a sitting duck afterward.
It was not very efficient.
I felt my body become stronger. Moving it felt as light as a feather, but internally, I already felt exhausted. The appearance seemed to resemble Roland to onlookers, which was a bonus, but I felt it overshadowed my own experience.
I wanted to see if there was a way I could make it my own.
To remove the influence of "Roland" from the power.
It was quite preposterous–to try to remove "Roland" from "Roland's power." But then again, it was preposterous to have transmigrated to Melisande after my death and to have died a second time in a vision.
Nothing surprised me at that point.
However, if removing "Roland" didn't work, I wouldn't be too disappointed. Either way, the power was supposed to be used as a last resort, anyway.
Letting out a sigh at how complicated everything had become over the past few days, I deactivated Roland's Legend. Everything deflated like a balloon, and my original strength returned.
I felt myself become weaker until the sensation from before returned. Exhaustion settled in alongside a bit of pain. It was an uncomfortable sensation, but I needed to get used to it. Thankfully, I'd only used the Legend for a little bit without putting too much strain on my body, otherwise, recovery would've been more difficult.
While massaging my temples, I sat down on the floor in the courtyard, trying to relax for a few minutes.
However, at that moment, I noticed a shadow rushing towards me.
"Who's there?" I shouted, unsheathing my sword with much effort as I endured the urge to fall asleep.
"It's me!" A squeaky voice pierced my eardrums, causing me to groan in frustration. I suddenly remembered I'd sent someone to meet with Samuel, as going alone would've been akin to committing suicide.
Recognizing the familiar, rather punchable face of Rutley, I let out a sigh.
"What's the matter?" I asked, crossing my arms. Judging by his behavior, something important had happened. However, I just couldn't take him seriously because of how he behaved sometimes.
I really needed to tell him to mind his own business unless it was something 'really' important.
"Felix… F–Felix… the guy I sent to meet Samuel on your behalf… he died!"
Silence.
I stared at Rutley speechlessly. After locking eyes for a few seconds, the teen nodded frantically, and it finally sunk in.
"The guy died?"
"Someone killed him!"