The Academy Regressor is Obsessed

The term “magician” was quite famous. Isn’t it a word coined by vanguards who directly rub bodies with enemies to disparage magicians who only cast spells from behind? It was almost a taboo word in Wiheim, so Asel knew its origin and meaning very well.

Honestly, he didn’t have much feeling about the word itself. But hearing it blatantly to his face, it was true that it felt unpleasant. He had quite liked magic, and all the people he had built deep friendships with were magicians. He couldn’t think well of expressions that disparaged the field and people he liked.

Yes, to put it simply, it was “uncomfortable.”

“Ignorant meat shield.”

So he responded with an equally disparaging expression. Although it was a longer expression than “magician,” judging from Grace’s twitching brow, it seemed to have hit the mark. Asel raised the corner of his mouth and continued speaking.

“You disparage magicians while only knowing how to swing a sword ignorantly? Do you think the continent’s civilization would have developed this far without magicians?”

It was true. Most of the tools for convenience that exist on the continent today were designed by magical engineers and circuited by magicians. Without them, humanity would still be living a primitive life, roasting meat in front of fires. Many uncivilized warriors refuse to acknowledge this truth, but it was an undeniable fact.

Grace seemed to inwardly acknowledge this too, as she pouted her lips and muttered.

“…I never thought I’d have this kind of conversation with you. Is this the butterfly effect or something…? But I haven’t done anything yet…”
“If you want to refute, speak loudly. I can’t hear you.”

Asel said this and turned his head towards the ceiling.

The pain that had been constricting his chest had subsided by now. Thanks to the magical power in his core rising to more than half. Now he had almost shaken off the symptoms of magical exhaustion, and it seemed there wouldn’t be much problem even if he used magic. He raised his upper body and rotated his shoulders, but there was no creaking feeling anymore.

‘Seems I can move now.’

The reason he had fainted and the reason he had been lying quietly on the bed were both due to magical exhaustion. Now that he had shaken it off, there was no reason to stay still. Asel immediately got up from the bed and stretched his arms and legs. This relieved his body which had become stiff from lying down for a long time.

“A-are you going?”
“I can’t just occupy a bed while I’m fine.”
“I, I want to go too!”

Grace said this and tried to raise her body, but after struggling for a while, all she managed to raise was her upper body. It seemed the injuries she received from Fernan were quite severe.

‘Did he push her harder because she’s a fellow swordsman?’

Asel glanced at the bandages tightly wrapped around her abdomen, then handed her the last potion remaining in his backpack.

“Drink this. It’s a painkiller.”
“…Are you giving this to me?”
“There’s no point in saving it, it’ll just go back to storage anyway. Might as well use it here.”
“Th-thank you…”

Grace extended her trembling hand to receive the potion Asel was handing over. Asel noticed her bandaged arm was slightly stained red, and sighed as he opened the lid for her instead.

“Tell me if it hurts.”
“…I don’t want to be a bother.”
“…My personality isn’t twisted enough to consider that a bother.”

He let a little magical power flow into the potion inside to check its effect, then brought it directly to Grace’s lips. Grace rolled her eyes as if hesitating for a moment, but soon opened her mouth and drank the potion.

Gulp, gulp.

The sound of drinking the potion echoes quietly in the tent. Asel looked at her slightly flushed cheeks and raised magical power over his palm. The magical power played on his palm, freely changing form according to his will.

Fortunately, the nature of his magical power had returned from lightning to a fluid form. It was because he had consumed all the magical power absorbed through Lightning Absorption with high-level magic. Thanks to this, he could now use magic of other branches again.

It wasn’t that uncomfortable, but to use magic for convenience, he had to get rid of all the lightning-natured magical power anyway.

‘If left as is, even using just cleaning magic could end up scorching the whole room.’

Such accidents had to be avoided as much as possible. If only to avoid being murdered by Evelyn or Haley.

“I finished drinking.”

While he was lost in thought, Grace licked the potion smeared on her mouth and spoke to him. Asel closed the lid of the empty bottle and tucked it into his backpack.

Come to think of it, the cores he had put in his backpack were nowhere to be seen. Did they disappear automatically when leaving the exam site, or did the examiners collect them? He couldn’t tell. Anyway, it was fine since he had finished researching the circuits.

“Then I’m going. See you at the entrance ceremony.”

Asel said with a faint smile as he slung his backpack on his back. Grace bit her lip slightly and was about to nod when suddenly, as if something occurred to her, she opened her eyes wide.

“Ah, right! Asel!”
“…? What is it?”
“By any chance, what’s your ideal type?”
“…Why so suddenly.”

Asel frowned at the unexpected question. Ideal type? Isn’t this a question that doesn’t fit the situation at all? It’s not a question that can’t be asked, but still, it doesn’t seem like we’ve become that close yet. The sense of distance felt strange.

But Grace’s expression was only serious. The most serious among all the expressions he had seen so far. So Asel, although he thought about just ignoring it, gave a rough answer.

“I haven’t really thought about it.”
“But still! You must have some general idea!”
“…Sigh. Someone with tolerance?”
“You mean someone with big breasts, right?”

No, why does it become that?

Asel stared at Grace with a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded, but she lightly ignored that gaze and let out a sigh of relief. Then she gently looked down at her own chest and muttered.

“This is still the same. Good.”
“This is driving me crazy.”

Asel muttered this and moved his steps towards the outside of the tent. It seemed no good words would come out if he continued the conversation.

“Asel!”

Grace shouted towards him as he was leaving. When he turned his head, he saw her waving her hand with a faint smile.

“See you next time.”
“…Sure.”

Asel smiled slightly and waved back at her. Then he left the tent.

As soon as he came out, the bright sunlight greeted him fiercely. It had been night before he fainted, but it seemed a day had already passed. The rain seemed to have stopped too, and the dark clouds had long since disappeared far away.

The location was… the entrance to the forest. He could recognize it immediately because it was a familiar place. It seemed they were treating the injured here.

“Ah, Asel!”

While he was looking around, a familiar voice was heard from behind. When he turned his head, he saw Ellen and Elena with bandages on their bodies. Asel approached them with a small smile.

“Are you alright?”
“It was just magical exhaustion, so there was no need to struggle for so long.”
“You’re probably the only one who can say that about magical exhaustion.”

Ellen retorted with a voice that now seemed fed up. Asel noticed the splint wrapped around her ankle and opened his mouth.

“Is it broken?”
“They said it’s cracked. But well, ending up like this after fighting a Master is pretty good.”
“Are you fine elsewhere?”
“Yeah, just simple bruises at most. Thanks to Fernan’s control, I guess.”

That was true. If Fernan had used his full power, the three including Asel would have fainted immediately before they could do anything. That’s how huge the gap was between a Master and those who weren’t. The fact that Asel was able to damage him with magic was only possible because Fernan had reduced the output of the aura covering his body.

‘There’s still a long way to go.’

As Asel thought this and let out a long breath, Ellen smiled and opened her mouth.

“By the way Asel, did you know?”
“…? What is it?”
“I asked a supervisor going around after the exam ended how many cores were needed to pass the exam. They said five.”
“What.”

Elena, who was next to them, reacted first to Ellen’s words. Asel furrowed his brow and asked back.

“…Five? But 50 would be needed to activate the device.”
“That’s right. But whether you pass the exam or not isn’t determined by activating the device, but by whether you fill it with meaningful energy or not. Five is the minimum condition for that.”

It was an unbelievable answer. Does that mean all their hard work until now was for nothing?

“If it was like that, we could have finished on the first day! Why didn’t they tell us?”
“They said figuring out that minimum condition was also part of the exam.”
“That’s malicious!”
“I suppose so.”

Ellen answered with a smile, and Elena snorted. Asel looked down at them and burst into a small laugh.

It’s all in the past anyway. There’s no point in getting angry and arguing about it now.

“Are you going to stay here?”

Asel asked the two. Ellen nodded while tapping the splint on her leg.

“I guess so, since it’s hard to walk. I’ll receive a bit more treatment, then go together when someone from the family comes.”
“I’m going to wait until someone comes to pick me up too. I got a message that the principality sent someone.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to go alone.”

These two people he had grown quite fond of after taking the exam and fighting together. He had wanted to go to the city together if possible, but it seemed he would have to go alone. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t disappointed, but still, it’s not like there won’t be chances to meet in the future, so he didn’t worry too much.

Asel smiled and nodded, then slowly got up from his seat.

“See you on the entrance ceremony day.”
“Yeah! Take care, Asel! No pretending not to know us then!”
“Take care.”

Asel turned around while waving his hand towards the two.

“Whew……”

He glanced at the medical personnel busily moving around, then walked towards the shape of the city visible far away in the forest.

He wasn’t worried about entering the Academy. Since Fernan had said at the end that he had surpassed the standard, his admission was probably confirmed automatically. There was no need to hear additional answers. For the time being, he just needed to rest well, return to Wiheim, and wait until the entrance ceremony.

As he was thinking this and moving his steps, he saw a group of clergy walking from the opposite direction. They seemed to be those called by the Academy side to deal with the injured.

Except for one, the rest all looked like they didn’t have much to do with combat. However, it was certain that they all handled ‘holy power’.

It was his first time seeing clergy who handle holy power in person. The elderly nun who came for volunteer work during his slum days was just a devout believer. Those so openly connected to God like this tended to stay cooped up in the church and refrain from external activities.

He had heard there were clergy who mainly do missionary work, but since Wiheim worshipped magic instead of God, clergy couldn’t come and go that much. In the first place, it wasn’t a preferred country because the entry procedures were complicated from the start.

‘I’d like to see holy magic once.’

The ‘holy magic’ handled by clergy is a kind of law magic that uses holy power as its source. Its branches are very extensive, from the most basic healing magic to barriers, buffs, etc. There were quite a few high-ranking clergy who handled various law magics. They just don’t stand out because they don’t come out of the church.

Among the branches of holy magic, healing magic, which is the most widely known and used, was similar in nature to healing-type magic. Both could quickly regenerate even physical defects, and the amount of magical power and holy power consumed wasn’t that much.

However, there was a difference in that holy magic healed wounds without any price, while healing formulas were accompanied by terrible pain. It’s not for nothing that people go to clergy and pay expensive fees instead of visiting healing mages.

This difference could never be filled by talent or improvement of formulas. Magic and holy magic had completely different origins and directions of development, so it was impossible to fix it just because they were similar in nature. Still, he wanted to observe it roughly. Just knowing and not knowing made a big difference in itself.

“Sister. Over there.”

While he was lost in thought, the whispers of the approaching clergy were heard. Asel used hearing enhancement magic to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Are you coming from where the injured are gathered?”
“Wow, he’s handsome.”
“…Sister?”
“…Ahem. He doesn’t seem to be badly injured, so let’s approach and ask about the situation of the injured.”
“What? Ah, yes!”

The small girl who had been talking with the woman with purple hair nodded and approached Asel with small steps. Although he had overheard the entire conversation and knew the content, Asel tilted his head as if he didn’t know and looked down at her.

“Who are you?”
“Nice to meet you, brother. I am Tina, a priestess of the church dispatched at the request of the Academy.”
“Ah, the church… Did you come because of the treatment of the injured?”
“That’s right. So I have a few things I’d like to ask, if that’s alright with you?”

While Tina was speaking, the other clergy didn’t move. Instead, they just looked at her with fond gazes.

As she’s the youngest nun, do they want her to gain various experiences directly? Considering the rumors circulating that clergy generally have excellent eloquence, it wasn’t incomprehensible. It seemed she was trying to improve her communication skills by taking the lead in conversation.

Since it wasn’t unpleasant, he decided to go along willingly.

“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Ah, thank you. May God’s blessing be with you.”

Tina muttered while folding her hands as if in prayer, then looked up at Asel and asked.

“Brother, is it correct that you were with the injured and just came out?”
“Yes. I came out first as my condition got a bit better.”
“Ah, I’m glad you’ve gotten better. Still, just in case, would it be alright if I check your condition myself?”
“That’s fine. I’d rather like to request it.”

Asel smiled and extended his arm. At that smile, Tina cleared her throat and felt Asel’s pulse.

“Ahem… Then, I’ll check.”

She said this and slowly manipulated her holy power. Asel narrowed his eyes and observed its movement.

Aura is used by containing it in the heart. Because it has a physical form, if the heart is destroyed, the vessel is destroyed along with it.

On the other hand, the magical core has no physical form. To be precise, it exists in the mage’s mind. This cannot be physically destroyed, but it can be shaken by methods that impact the soul or mind. Or by interfering with the pathways through which magical power moves. If it’s another magician, it’s even possible to extract it through magical power.

Holy power had a nature closer to magical power between the two. Without physical form, it draws holy power from a well engraved in the soul to operate holy magic. No formulas or complex calculations were needed in this process. It was just a matter of moving holy power according to will and recalling what was desired.

‘If you think about it, it’s similar to praying through prayer.’

If magic is implementing a kind of law, holy magic was like praying for what one wishes to God. A miracle that’s impossible to use without unconditional faith in God. It wasn’t for nothing that those lacking faith or who aren’t devout couldn’t awaken holy power.

‘It’s regrettable, but it seems difficult to use.’

He grasped the structure at once. Just by observing, he could obtain all the information he wanted. But as expected, it was impossible to handle holy magic. However, it seemed possible to create new magic in the form of magic by adjusting holy magic other than the healing magic they use.

‘More things to research have increased again.’

There’s no time, but greed keeps growing. Asel smiled bitterly and looked at Tina who was removing her hand from his arm.

“Is it finished?”
“Yes. As you said, there are no injuries. That’s fortunate.”

Asel answered with a smile instead of words and glanced at the gathered clergy.

“By the way, I’m worried that I might be wasting the time of valuable people. You should go see the injured quickly…”
“Ah, it’s alright. I asked you directly, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
“Still, I can’t help but feel concerned. Although it’s not much of a substitute, if you have any questions, I’ll answer them sincerely.”
“Ah, then right away…”

As he was dealing with clergy, Asel also adopted a formal way of speaking. There was no reason to make a bad impression on them.

The conversation flowed smoothly. Tina asked Asel about the number and condition of the injured, and Asel explained in detail what he had seen. He also told her about the appearances of those who seemed serious. Having received the answers she wanted, Tina smiled and gave a light bow.

“Thank you for your answers.”
“Haha, this is nothing. By the way, is it alright for me to go now? I’m a bit tired from taking the exam…”
“Ah, yes. I’m sorry, it seems I kept you for a long time. May God’s blessing be upon your future path, brother.”
“Thank you.”

Asel answered with a smile, slightly bowed his head towards Tina, and started to go on his way.

When he slightly looked back, he saw the priest who seemed to be the eldest roughly ruffling Tina’s hair. From what he could roughly hear, it seemed he was praising her for doing well. Asel burst into a small laugh and was about to turn his head forward.

At that moment, his eyes met with the nun who had purple hair. She smiled wryly and waved her hand towards Asel.

Asel also smiled and waved back. While doing so, he thought.

‘Somehow, I feel like I’ll be seeing her often.’

His intuition as a magician whispered this to him.