Chapter 26 - Childhood Dreams and True Talent
The demon they managed to capture was subdued thanks to everyone's efforts. While the professor would never boast, for first-year academy students to achieve this was unprecedented.
If Professor Lian knew how far his students had come, he'd surely feel proud. So, bringing back proof of the demon's defeat seemed like the right thing to do.
Ciel, having that thought, tried to arrange the demon's shattered head as presentably as possible—like a bouquet.
"But why does Professor look like that?"
Why, indeed?
Ciel had expected a proud smile, a "My students are truly exceptional" moment, perhaps even a pat on the head. But the professor just looked… unsettled.
His face was pale, sweat trailing down his brow.
"Professor isn't afraid of a mere demon, is he?"
This was the same professor who had faced down mythical monsters without flinching. Just because they presented him with a demon's remains couldn't have rattled him. There must be another reason.
So, what could it be? What had put that surprised look on his face?
The answer came sooner than expected.
"Your students seem to have grown more vicious since I last saw them."
A voice rang out from behind them.
Turning quickly, Ciel saw another demon's face.
With his mana insensitivity, Ciel hadn't noticed its approach, but the professor certainly had.
Taking down one demon only to face another. The situation was as dire as it could be, yet neither Ciel nor any other student faltered.
They were, after all, under the protection of the academy's professors. And they themselves weren't ones to be underestimated.
"This time, we'll protect the professor!"
Everyone in Class A braced themselves, ignited by a shared determination. They'd taken down one demon—why not two?
"Let's take him down, together." The students, having come to a silent agreement, adopted their battle stances, with Ciel drawing his sword once more.
And then, with a single, powerful stroke, he swung.
The students launched into a coordinated assault. No matter how formidable the demon, blocking all their attacks should have been impossible…
"…What?"
But Ciel's face filled with surprise.
The demon stood motionless, smirking, unscathed.
"If that's all you've got, then I suppose it's my turn."
Yet, the demon didn't raise a weapon or cast a spell.
Instead, he merely shed his guise and revealed his true nature.
That alone rendered the students unable to look directly at him. Dizziness overwhelmed them, nausea set in, and even standing became impossible.
One by one, they collapsed to the ground.
It was only then that Ciel understood his own foolishness.
"We were never meant to face something like this."
They'd been arrogant, assuming the demon Professor Lian had prepared for their training was a fair challenge.
Having defeated it, they'd overestimated their own skills. There had to be a reason Professor had looked so alarmed, but they'd charged in blindly.
"I don't normally have attachments, but this one was fulfilling a favor for me. I suppose a little revenge is in order."
Every crime demands a fitting punishment, and in fairness, your heads will serve as trophies.
The demon said this, advancing slowly, reaching out to touch the neck of the fallen Ciel, who felt hot tears rolling down his cheeks.
But it was already too late. This was an opponent beyond reason. Even Professor Sylphy, who'd tried to retaliate with her staff, lay defeated.
All her efforts to avenge her family, her disguised name and hidden identity—they all came to nothing.
Before her stood the demon known as Gamigin, the fourth among the 72 Pillars.
Her life and her goals crumbled. She thought this was the end for her, but then…
Footsteps.
Footsteps she had no reason to hear.
Professor Lian had expended much of his mana on high-level spells. As a mage, there was no way he could withstand the pressure that had downed even the academy's swordsmanship instructor.
And yet…
The footsteps continued.
Professor Lian strode forward alone, undeterred by the demon's overwhelming strength.
With a smirk of interest, Gamigin gazed at this audacious human, and the professor calmly began to speak.
"You demons never seem to get tired of this, do you?"
"Are you sure about this choice? You'll never get another chance like this. I suggest you reconsider."
When I received my reward from the Imperial Treasury, the attendant in charge of the vault had advised against my decision.
The reason was simple enough.
The item I'd chosen had been a failure from its very inception, a hopeless mistake.
Dragonheart—an invaluable material. It could've been crafted into a staff, a sword, or refined into an elixir worth its weight in gold.
Instead, it had been turned into a mana stone for auxiliary support.
It could be used as a backup source of mana in dire circumstances.
But true masters, those who've reached the pinnacle of magic, never run out of mana.
An average mage, one limited by natural ability, wouldn't be able to wield an endless supply of mana effectively anyway.
So this stone, incomprehensible in its design, was ultimately one of the world's rarest materials wasted on a purposeless item. A failed artifact if there ever was one.
And yet, despite everything, I picked it without hesitation.
Because this enigmatic, defective item was the only thing that could make up for the talent I so desperately lacked.
"You demons never seem to get tired of this, do you?"
I muttered, touching the necklace. The mana stone replicated my magic's characteristics, refining its massive reserves to suit me.
I hadn't planned to reveal my trump card this early, but there was something about the situation that made me smile. Clearly, I hadn't outgrown my childish inclinations.
"Yes, that's what I expected from you," the demon said, laughing darkly, his oppressive aura intensifying.
Normally, I would've been crushed under his power. But now, I could stand against it. I'd studied demon mana structures during our last encounter and understood most of the mechanics.
Had I been forced to analyze it without the necklace, I'd have drained my mana within a second and died. But now…
"It's been a while since I had a real fight," the demon muttered, looking at me.
But I had no intention of humoring him.
"I don't enjoy fights. This will end in one move."
The mana stone was ultimately a single-use tool.
No matter how immense the Dragonheart's mana, the stone's efficiency limited it. A prolonged battle would deplete it quickly.
What I needed was a single, decisive blow.
There would be no battle. I'd crush him in one overpowering strike.
Once I'd decided, I wasted no time. I dismantled his attacks and prepared my own spell.
There was no need to think about which spell to cast—I'd had it in mind for ten years.
"Thinking back, it's a bit embarrassing now."
As a child, I believed myself a prodigy.
Magic came to me easily. I could understand and manipulate any spell with ease, and I had no doubt that my name would one day be known.
I may have been humbled by reality, but my aspiration to reach the top had never wavered.
Natural flaws could be overcome with effort. Mana deficiencies could be resolved with training.
With those naïve beliefs, I'd designed grandiose spells beyond my means. All I had to do was choose one from the vast collection.
"What in the…?"
As the spell took shape, the ground trembled. The demon looked up, sensing an impending threat.
A falling star, summoned by my will. My attack would erase everything in the surrounding area, and the demon launched himself into the air to evade it.
Even for him, it seemed overwhelming.
But the demon's strength was greater than expected.
The demon who had posed as the imperial prince had crumbled easily. This one, however, was enduring—no, he was blocking my attack outright.
A shadow peeled from his form, morphing into the shape of a massive beast. The black wolf ravenously devoured my star.
"A bit disappointing. I respect your strength, but defeating me with a single strike? Isn't that a bit arrogant?"
He taunted me with a playful smile.
But the notion that I'd be intimidated by this display was laughable.
There were limits to stupidity, after all.
Don't underestimate the foolish dreams of my youth. These spells were crafted by an idiot who genuinely believed he'd make history.
The pinnacle of my childish ambition wasn't just one falling star.
I duplicated the spell and began to modify it.
The mental strain from thousands of spells? I shifted the burden to my opponent.
The immense mana needed for each spell? Solved through recycling—each spell, once cast, would fuel the next.
A slight smirk crept onto my face as I looked down at the demon and declared,
"Unique Spell #1: Meteor Shower."
This battle was already won.