The Academy Regressor is Obsessed

As light returned to the world, the flying moon split the lightning.
The vertically split lightning, instead of disappearing, divided to both sides and fell to the ground. A thunderous sound followed.

Boom!!

The massive lightning wave sweeps through the forest, annihilating everything. But the place where Fernan stood was intact. He brushed up his rain-soaked hair and smiled refreshingly. On the other hand, Asel staggered with his face contorted due to symptoms of magical exhaustion.

High-level magic manifested by strengthening and resonating the formula with all kinds of characters. Just that alone emptied his core, and on top of that, he directly faced Fernan’s mind image. Although it seemed there was no need to worry about losing his life as magical power was slowly entering his core, he couldn’t prevent his consciousness from scattering. Asel opened his mouth while staring at Fernan with increasingly blurring vision.

“…Did I pass the test?”
“What kind of question is that.”

Fernan smiled slightly and put away his sword.

“You easily surpassed the standard, and you’ll probably take the top spot too.”
“That’s a relief.”

As long as he passed, it was fine. Asel let go of the consciousness he had been forcibly holding onto and collapsed on the spot. His face plunged into a puddle of rainwater, and Elena, who was standing next to him, startled and patted his shoulder.

“A-Asel? Asel, are you okay?”
“…It’s magical exhaustion. Seems he overdid it.”

Ellen uttered while checking Asel’s pulse.

Fortunately, his pulse was normal, but since magical exhaustion itself is a symptom with many variables, it needs to be dealt with quickly. On battlefields, many magicians died suddenly from magical exhaustion. It’s wrong to think Asel would be unconditionally safe.

She arbitrarily manipulated Asel’s bracelet to manifest a teleportation formula and spoke to Fernan.

“I’ll transport the injured for now.”
“Alright. You two go too. Ah, you two passed the exam too, so keep that in mind.”
“…Unlike Asel, we didn’t do much…”
“For vanguards moving with a magician, what’s important isn’t achievement but opening the way for the magician. You faithfully fulfilled that role.”

Fernan answered while shaking off the blood dripping from his body. Ellen nodded while furrowing her brow slightly as if somewhat dissatisfied.

“…I understand.”
“Your expression doesn’t look like you do at all.”
“……”
“Nevermind. But know this one thing. Warriors who perform more greatly than magicians are either far more skilled than magicians to begin with, or madmen who want to die in foreign lands.”

He didn’t wait for an answer. Fernan waved his hand towards Ellen, who was moving her lips, and lay down as if collapsing. Ellen also didn’t engage in further conversation and immediately moved to the injured tent with Elena.

Whoosh!

In the forest where everyone had disappeared. The sound of pouring rain beats the ears. The lingering echoes of lightning that haven’t yet disappeared occasionally burst into huge thunder sounds, and the flowing rainwater mercilessly soaks Fernan’s face. He looked up at the sky with a blank face, then smiled slightly and closed his eyes.

“It hurts like hell.”

He felt pain as if his brain was being scorched in the part directly hit by the magic. The wound wasn’t very deep, but due to the nature of lightning magic directly affecting the nervous system, the pain was intense regardless of the wound. Even a Master can’t train the nervous system, so writhing in pain was unavoidable.

Although he pretended to be fine in front of the three, Fernan was also mentally pushed to the limit.

If he had been hit by the magic Asel used at the end, he wouldn’t have been able to lie down like this by his own will. He would have fainted from the severe pain or tried to erase the lightning that had penetrated his body after quickly knocking down the three.

“…Unique magic is unique indeed.”

To think there’s magic that works on a Master with an overwhelmingly different realm. It wasn’t classified as unique magic for nothing. No, rather than the branch of magic, is it because its owner is too amazing?

Fernan took a long breath and devoured the lightning that had penetrated his body with aura.

It wasn’t easy. Asel’s magical power ran wild as if it had its own free will, and occasionally even showed attempts to encroach on Fernan’s aura. As expected of a genius, even his magical power overflowed with individuality. Even Ena’s magical power didn’t have this much autonomy. He wondered where such a monster had popped out from.

‘Although overshadowed by Asel, the Hargelin lady and Jin Zhao were quite good too. They’ll become more useful if polished.’

The level of those two wasn’t bad either. Both have good bloodlines, so it must be thanks to various trainings they received at the family level since childhood.

And Grace Baidel.

A genius of swordsmanship born in the Baidel ducal family. A monster who has theoretically mastered swordsmanship passed down through blood inheritance at that age and can somewhat open her mind image.

If Asel had made several small wounds, Grace had engraved one deep cut on one of Fernan’s arms. Thanks to this, he couldn’t avoid struggling slightly in the battle with Asel’s group. Of course, if he had been serious, the three’s necks would have flown through the air in an instant, but it wasn’t easy when his arm was injured while moderately controlling himself.

While thinking, he had almost finished devouring the lightning that had penetrated his body. Fernan groaned as he got up and brushed up his hair stuck to his forehead from the rain. He slightly tore his shirt to stop the bleeding on his arm, and muttered with a deep sigh.

“Ah, can’t all four of them come to my class?”

Although he knew it wasn’t an easy wish, he couldn’t help but be greedy. He spat out the blood pooled in his mouth and manipulated the communication equipment.

Whirr.

He activated the equipment by infusing aura and recalled the sentence he wanted to convey.

[Test finished. Grace Baidel was severely injured and defeated. Ellen Hargelin and Elena von Valdemia returned by manipulating equipment. Revelation’s disciple fainted and moved with the two.]

Beep.

The reply came back immediately.

[Ena’s disciple fainted during the exam? Are you telling me to report this to her? Is this some new kind of suicide method I don’t know about?]

“……”

As consciousness rose, his eyes opened. A pain as if his chest was constricting surged once, then slowly subsided. It was one of the typical symptoms of magical exhaustion. If he forcibly moved his body in this state, the balance between his core and body would be shattered, and he would die on the spot.

Although it was information he had seen in books, there was no harm in being careful.

Instead of getting up, Asel blankly stared at the ceiling.

A small magic lamp is glowing under the ceiling made of cloth. When he turned his head to the side, he saw other participants lying in similar states. None of them looked normal. Among them, Asel saw a man whose arms and legs were wrapped in lightning.

“Aaaagh!! It hurts, it huuurts! Please erase this…!”

It was a familiar face. He seemed to be the man who had been knocked out by one magic. Fortunately, contrary to his worry, it seems he didn’t die. Well, if he had died, Fernan would have come for immediate execution rather than a test.

But he was clearly in critical condition. Due to its nature, lightning magic causes much more pain than other magic. Moreover, the magical power that spreads after being directly hit by magic can’t be erased with ordinary control power.

Ruhan’s situation was the same. His control power couldn’t erase the lightning-natured magical power.

If left alone, he would repeatedly go into shock and wake up from the pain. There was no reason to leave him alone once confirmed, even if he hadn’t noticed. Asel forcibly moved his creaking magical power and collected the lightning wrapped around Ruhan’s body.

Then Ruhan’s contorted face relaxed stupidly.

“Just kill me… Huh? I-it’s gone. It’s gone! Holy shit!”

He shouted in ecstasy. It must have been quite painful. Asel thought he should adjust the power of lightning formulas more carefully in future sparring with people and turned his head.

That’s when their eyes met.

“Ah, hello…?”

The first thing that caught his eye was red hair. Her eyes shone like obsidian, and she was lying on the bed with bandages tightly wrapped around her arms and neck, looking this way.

It was a face in his memory. Asel slightly furrowed his brow and opened his mouth.

“That… from the exam site…”
“Grace! Grace Baidel!”

She shouted as she raised her upper body, then twisted her face in pain.

“Urgh……”
“Did you fail?”

Since they weren’t inside the exam site, Asel spoke politely for now. Grace startled and answered.

“Please speak comfortably, please.”

The emotion contained in that voice was so desperate that Asel could only nod with a bitter expression.

Where on earth did they have any connection for her to come out with such an attitude?

He thought about it, but no answer came. This was only the second time meeting her, with the first being a week ago.

Not enough time to properly grasp the other person’s tendencies. But Grace acted as if she had a great deal of debt and emotion towards him. Showing such an unconditionally submissive attitude first wasn’t good for relationships.

“…It’s not a failure.”

While he was thinking, Grace spoke. She smiled bitterly while caressing her nape.

“Fernan came for a test and beat me up. I did manage to wound his arm, but the result was my defeat.”
“So you were the one who made that wound.”
“…You met Fernan too?”
“Same as you. I took the test and lost.”

He wasn’t sure if it was right to express it as a loss, but in the end, if it had gone all the way, it would have been this side that lost, so it wasn’t necessarily a wrong expression.

Thinking of Fernan reminded him of the ‘Mind Image Release’ he had shown. A secret technique and unique world that can be used when one reaches the extreme in any field. He didn’t know what kind of mind image Fernan held, but the ashen moon he had shown was beautiful and also lonely.

‘I wonder what Master’s mind image is.’

Ena habitually imbues her mind image in magic, but she has never actually released her mind image. He vaguely realized it was related to eternity, but didn’t know the details.

It would be strange to directly ask about someone’s personal mind image, so it seemed right to suppress his curiosity until she told or showed him. Asel took a long breath and opened his mouth.

“Do you know me?”

Other thoughts later. For now, Asel felt the need to talk about this with Grace.

If she was skilled enough to take a test with Fernan, she would certainly be admitted to the Academy. He wanted to avoid becoming awkward every time he met such a person at the Academy if possible.

He understood that she held some strange emotions towards him, but if this wasn’t explained in detail, it would be more uncomfortable for him. Asel thought this as he glanced at Grace.

Grace didn’t immediately open her mouth even while meeting that gaze. Countless agonies were contained in her eyes and then disappeared repeatedly. What remained at the end was a thread of hope. She forced a smile and barely voiced with trembling lips.

“…Asel, do you really not remember me?”
“That’s right.”

Grace collapsed at that one answer.

“…Ah.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, then began to flow without any resistance. There was no sobbing. Just quietly. She just helplessly shed tears while lying still and looking at Asel. The emotion visible in that appearance was so pitiful that Asel quietly waited until she stopped crying.

How long had passed like that? Grace opened her mouth with a voice mixed with moisture.

“It’s all… gone. The promise we made, the simple wedding we held, the house we built together.”
“……”
“It’s all, all gone.”

Asel didn’t understand her mutterings. But he understood the emotions she was showing.

Despair, grief, sadness, depression, etc. All of them were nothing but negative. Asel rolled his eyes with an awkward expression.

Honestly, he didn’t feel much empathy. She was a woman he had only met twice at most, and he had no words to say when she shed tears without any explanation. What could he possibly say when he knew nothing?

Should he comfort her, or just keep quiet?

Asel thought for a moment, then decided to just give a short response. It seemed like she would stay like that all day if left alone.

“Um… Grace?”
“…Huh?”
“I don’t know why you’re doing this, but isn’t it better to focus on the present rather than being buried in past events?”
“……”

No answer came. He hadn’t expected an answer, but when even the sound of sobbing disappeared, he couldn’t help but worry if he had said something strange.

Still, it’s good that she stopped crying, right? Asel thought this and cleared his throat.

Grace stared at him intently, then eventually smiled bitterly and opened her mouth.

“…Your inability to comfort properly is the same now as it was then. I told you that at times like this, you just need to hug…”

He had never heard that.

“…You’re right, if I stay immersed in the past, I won’t be able to do anything. I need to get up, if only to avoid meeting the same end as before. But…”

I can’t help feeling sad. Grace finished speaking like that and pulled the blanket over her head. Judging from the faint sound of sobbing heard, it seemed she was shedding tears for the last time. Asel sighed deeply and roughly ruffled his hair.

‘This doesn’t suit my temperament.’

Even in the slums, it was Evelyn who took charge of comforting orphans they happened to meet. All Asel did was teach them how to survive. He had tried to comfort crying children a few times when the opportunity arose, but they all either cried louder instead of stopping or he quickly gave up because it was frustrating. He never dreamed he would do this again after becoming an adult.

Fortunately, unlike children, Grace quickly stopped crying. She pulled back the blanket and said while rubbing her swollen eyes with her hands.

“I know you have a lot of questions. I’ll tell you someday when the time comes.”
“Is there a reason to hide it?”
“…I’m not sure. For now, I’m not mentally prepared either.”

He wondered if there was anything to prepare for, but nodded for now. Grace smiled faintly seeing that.

“Let’s have a duel later. I want to cross swords after a long time.”
“…? But I don’t know how to use a sword.”
“?”
“?”

Both their faces crumpled similarly.

“…Aren’t you a swordsman?”
“I’m a magician.”
“A magician? The mercenary Asel famous for hating spells is a magician?”

Grace asked with her eyes wide open. Asel frowned hard.

The difference in their memories started from there, for now.