EP.158 Autumn, New Semester (1)
Summer is the season of preparation.
Under the scorching heat, we take a moment to pause and prepare for the coming autumn. Apuria Academy was no different. During the long vacation, the students of Apuria enjoy the sweet taste of rest. A rest that couldn’t be sweeter.
There’s no need to fear assignments.
No need to dread the nightmares that come every night.
With a calm mind and at ease.
It feels like receiving a reward for overcoming the trials and tribulations of the semester. Students spend their vacation in their own ways, like going on trips together and indulging in the magic books they had wanted to read…
“I don’t need to see that.”
However, not everyone felt the same.
“That’s a pathetic excuse. It’s paperwork that isn’t even worth reading. Just organize it properly. Oh, and please announce the results for the second quarter by category separately.”
There was one individual busier than anyone else during the break.
“The results for the alchemy lab are disappointing. I’ve decided to cut the budget for this section next month, so please relay that. The cut budget can be transferred to the magic engineering lab.”
On the top floor of the Ashen Tower, in the office of the next Master of the Tower.
The girl sitting there continued speaking, rubbing the space between her brows.
“And also…”
gulp
The head secretary of the tower, receiving her instructions, swallowed hard. No wonder. With just one gesture or word from the girl before him, the fate of each tier is decided. Countless elite mages would either weep or smile because of her.
“Yes, that’s all.”
The next Master of the Tower, Resti Elenoa. She finished speaking while brushing aside her violet hair. Even after several days of overnight work, there wasn’t a hint of fatigue in her eyes.
‘…People really have changed suddenly.’
There was no time to wonder about that change.
She was also so busy dealing with the crazily piling work that the head secretary had no time to even breathe. It was an overwhelming transformation. Honestly unrecognizable.
‘It’s hard to adapt.’
It wasn’t just the head secretary’s problem. All tiers of the Ashen Tower were struggling to keep up with the changes.
It was only natural.
Resti Elenoa. For years, she sat in the position of the next Master of the Tower without wielding any power. Therefore, the position was effectively vacant. It had been that way for three years.
But, what is this?
A few months ago, with quite a shocking announcement… the next Master sat in the position she was to occupy. And then, she began to wield power. She started managing the tower.
It was very chaotic.
There had been several incidents, big and small, amid the chaos.
Many mages did not want to follow her directives. That position belonged to the Ashen Mage. It was not a place for someone like her to sit. Mages, especially those around the Elders, rallied against her…
“The retirement of Elder Habert.”
The elder, at the center of it all, was expelled from the Tower.
The faction managed by Elder Habert was completely dismantled. Naturally, the voices of discontent began to fade. That’s when everyone started to realize.
‘There’s something about this Master that allows her to even expel an Elder who has served the Tower for a lifetime.’
In her hands was something significant.
It wasn’t guaranteed that it wouldn’t turn towards them. Discontent remained. However, there wasn’t a mage brave enough to express it openly.
Silence born from fear.
Yet, as with all fear-based politics, it couldn’t last long. Everyone was watching, waiting for that arrogant Master to make a mistake, just waiting for an opportunity to pounce.
Two months passed like that.
The next Master still does not make mistakes. She is carrying out her responsibilities flawlessly. Instead, the overall performance of the Tower is on the rise for the first time in years. From that point on, she gained solid supporters.
“I will support the next Master of the Tower.”
The oldest Elder of the Ashen Tower.
Elder Gileon supported her. The largest faction of the Tower backs the current next Master. Gradually but surely, she was engulfing the Tower.
The head secretary witnessed all of this firsthand. Therefore, she felt a sense of awe towards the girl in front of her. It was akin to the emotion she had felt towards a certain mage who once occupied that position long ago.
‘…Ashen Mage, Raniel van Trias.’
She went through a similar process.
Everyone disregarded him, but he always remained diligent in his duties. By the time they realized it, the Tower had already fallen into his hands. Even those who had discontent fell silent before overwhelming performance.
And now.
A similar history is about to repeat itself.
‘Turning point.’
At the center is Resti Elenoa.
The head secretary glanced at the girl sitting in the office.
Cold eyes and a chilling voice.
A girl who handles work without pause… as if she’s a machine. To the head secretary, she did not appear to be human.
As she blankly stared at her.
A cold voice echoed in the office.
“What are you staring at?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
You may go down now.
Just as Resti directed, the head secretary was about to leave the office when a transmission suddenly rang in her ears. It was a response from the lobby of the tower.
– Head Secretary, um… there’s a visitor who wishes to see the next Master.
Who would come to personally send a reply like this? There shouldn’t be any scheduled visitors. As the head secretary frowned and inquired about the visitor’s identity…
“…!!”
Her eyes widened at the answer.
The secretary promptly reported back to the next Master.
“Uh, next Master.”
“What is it?”
“There’s a visitor who wants to see you, next Master.”
“There shouldn’t be any appointments. I’m not in a position to welcome unexpected visitors. Please send them away.”
“Well, it’s someone a bit hard to send off…”
Resti frowned.
She nodded subtly, as if gesturing to say who it was. To that question, the head secretary answered.
“Elder Rosel has come with his daughter.”
A jolt ran through Resti’s shoulders.
More precisely, at the word ‘daughter.’
She pulled her gaze from the paperwork to look at the secretary. Her eyes were different from usual. The secretary felt that on the girl’s face— which had seemed to be like a machine— a significant change was beginning to show.
Anticipation, and joy.
The secretary blinked, wondering if she had seen it wrong. After closing her eyes and opening them again, the girl returned to her usual impassive state. She cleared her throat and said.
“Please guide them to the reception room.”
There was a strangely buoyant tone in her voice.
2.
“Make sure to have a good chat. I shall take my leave now.”
“Aren’t you going with us, Master?”
“There’s no good in me staying at the Tower for long. It would just be a distraction. And I think the child would prefer talking to you alone.”
I parted ways with my master at the entrance of the Tower. It seemed she had come specifically to let me through.
“…Ah!”
Just as I waited a moment in the lobby, the head secretary came down. She hurried to me, her eyes meeting mine.
‘It’s been a while since I last saw her.’
She was a familiar face to me.
She had once served as my secretary. After answering her simple questions, I followed her guidance up the Tower.
“I will guide you to the reception room.”
It had been a long time since I set foot in the tower.
Even though it was my first visit to the Ashen Tower in years… it didn’t feel particularly unfamiliar. The facilities hadn’t greatly changed, and the faces of the wizards passing by were also familiar.
– …Is that person?
– Elder Rosel’s daughter…
– They say she’s a professor at Apuria Academy?
I could hear whispers along the way.
With each step I took, I felt eyes focused on me. After all, as my master’s disciple, it’s only natural that wizards would be interested…
– As expected, she is quite beautiful…
– She certainly attracts attention…
I quickly turned my head.
As I glared at where the voices were coming from, the passing wizards hurriedly lowered their heads. I muttered while glaring at them.
“There seem to be many relaxed people around?”
“…What?”
The head secretary tilted her head at my words.
“Shouldn’t we be nearing the end of the quarter by now? Isn’t this the time for them to be wrapping up research results and sorting out their achievements… Should they really have time to chatter like that?”
It hadn’t been like that during my time.
Everyone was holed up in the labs; there wasn’t a soul in the halls.
‘These youngsters nowadays…’
I clicked my tongue in disapproval.
The Tower’s authority had definitely loosened, and I couldn’t hide my dismay. I had a lot to say to them, but I displayed a superhuman level of patience and suppressed those thoughts.
“…You seem to know a lot about the Tower?”
“…I’ve heard a bit from my master.”
At my words, the head secretary made a peculiar expression, tilting her head. It was as if she sensed a sense of déjà vu. I tried to ignore that and continued my walk.
After a while.
“You will find the next Master waiting for you.”
At the top floor of the Ashen Tower.
The head secretary retreated a step back after guiding me to the reception room adjacent to the Master’s office. I lightly knocked and stepped into the reception room.
“Welcome.”
The girl seated in the reception room.
Instead of her usual school uniform, Resti wore the robe adorned with the symbol of the Ashen Tower and smiled brightly at me.
“Professor Rania.”
“It’s been a while. Resti.”
This was the first time seeing her since the beginning of the break.
Even though it had only been a short two months, it felt a little unfamiliar. It didn’t seem to be just my imagination.
‘She has changed a bit.’
The aura surrounding her had shifted.
She no longer carried an air of timidity. Since it was a positive change, I couldn’t help but smile lightly.
“I hope I’m not interrupting your busy schedule.”
“I’m okay. Things are wrapping up nicely. I managed to finish some work early.”
I sat down in the chair across from Resti.
The reception room next to the Master’s office had remained just as I remembered it. I gazed at the sofa in the corner and smiled wryly.
‘That still exists, huh?’
It felt like just yesterday when I had stayed up late working and curled up on that sofa to sleep. Even the coat rack that my master had hung beside the sofa was still intact.
However, the clothes hanging there were different.
A new extra robe with the emblem of the newly established Ashen Tower. It was a change the tower had undergone over the past few years. I nodded slightly and opened my mouth.
“I hear you’ve driven out an Elder.”
“He was quite a bothersome Elder.”
Bothersome, indeed.
Hearing that word from Resti was quite refreshing. I smiled bitterly and continued.
“I assume the materials you were provided with were quite helpful?”
“…Yes, truly.”
Resti slightly lowered her head.
She tugged at the string of a necklace, retrieving a small rectangular prism hanging from its end outside of her clothing.
“Honestly, it was incredibly helpful.”
“It must have been difficult to write.”
“It was challenging but… compared to the work I’ve done so far, it was easier.”
I had provided her with a dagger to stab the Elders.
With the name of Rania, I had passed it to Resti.
Holding it tightly, she continued.
“I pulled in Elder Gileon and incited conflicts between the other Elders… I just subtly encouraged them to fight among themselves.”
I listened attentively to Resti’s words.
“At the critical moment, I simply gave the other Elders a gentle push. I didn’t need to step in myself.”
That was different from what I had in mind.
While I had always been direct and brash, Resti was the opposite.
‘She knows how to set the stage to flow in the desired direction.’
That must be her personality.
While she resembled me in many ways, she differed in this aspect.
“The Ashen Mage was different, wasn’t he?”
“Is that so?”
“He tackled issues head-on without a second thought.”
While I had once set the stage, I would eventually just charge in headfirst if things got tedious. It was often quicker to smash things up than to think through various strategies.
“Well, let’s stop the small talk here.”
I clapped my hands together.
“I’ve also come to check on you personally, but… there’s something that needs to be conveyed from the academy.”
I took out a letter from my pocket.
The letter was emblazoned with the symbol of Aaron, the headmaster of Apuria Academy, a form of paperwork.
“Under normal circumstances, it’s rare for Apuria to offer conveniences to students, but since it concerns you, the headmaster has made an exception.”
“An exception?”
“They’ve decided to make accommodations for you.”
I unfolded the letter. Although it was wrapped in formalities that went around in circles, to summarize it went like this.
“You don’t have to attend every class. The graduation requirements will be adjusted to accommodate your situation. You’ll be able to graduate by taking just basic courses.”
As a student also holding the position of the next Master of the Tower.
Considering she’s a student who could rival many professors, the academy made quite a bold decision. It was an extraordinary privilege.
“In short, from the second semester onward, you can afford to lighten your coursework. They’re allowing for accommodations that won’t interfere with your duties as the next Master of the Tower.”
I pushed the letter toward Resti and questioned.
“What do you want to do? The choice is yours.”
“…”
Resti silently gazed at the letter.
After some time of contemplation, she raised her head and spoke, casually.
“I think I’m okay with that.”
“…You will be busy, though?”
“Honestly, I’m not all that busy.”
Resti shook her head with a rueful smile.
“Right now, my focus is to establish a foundation, but it’s almost at its end… Besides, I’m not conducting personal research.”
She stated.
“I heard that the previous next Master, Raniel, not only engaged in the duties of the Master during their time on that seat but also participated and led several personal and tiered research projects.”
While looking straight at me, Resti continued speaking.
“While I can’t compare myself to him just yet.”
In Resti’s eyes, a platinum light shimmered. A budding talent that had begun to bloom and one that she no longer hid.
“To be recognized by everyone, I can’t neglect any aspect. I plan to go through the same processes as the other students to prevent any bad talk about me.”
“What about personal research?”
“I can do that while I’m enrolled. I had a chance to do it last semester, and it turned out to be manageable.”
“Right, well…”
I nodded.
“If that’s the case, you wouldn’t need this.”
As I took back the letter I had held out, a gentle smile surfaced on my face. Compared to Resti from the beginning of the semester, the girl before me felt entirely different.
“You’re working hard.”
“I’ve found clear reasons to work hard.”
Resti stated.
“The professor said not to do anything I would regret.”
A phrase I had shared long ago, Resti pronounced it with her own lips.
“I feel like if I don’t work hard now, I’ll regret it.”
“…Well then.”
I shook my head and stood up from my seat.
Resti slowly rose from her seat as well. She had become brighter, more cheerful… and was speaking better as she opened the reception room door for me.
“That robe.”
I pointed at Resti’s robe and said.
“It suits you well.”
“…Thank you, Professor.”
“Alright, see you when school starts.”
As I left the reception room, seeing her off, I cast a glance at the office of the next Master through the glass window before heading down.
Once my seat.
Now it resides with that child.
Everything in the Tower felt familiar, yet the office was a place that felt foreign. However, it wasn’t an unpleasant kind of unfamiliarity. I walked with lightened steps.
‘Lac, Belnoa, Resti.’
They are all growing along their own paths.
Feeling fulfillment in my role as a professor, I exited the tower. It was a more rewarding profession than I had expected.
September is just around the corner.
Reflecting on the upcoming second semester, I walked through the streets that were ending summer. It was a day that was not unbearably hot.
3.
The long yet short summer vacation was coming to an end.
As summer fades away, autumn arrives. As the students prepare for the upcoming new semester at Apuria…
“Make sure to study hard, young master!”
“Please send my regards to Lady Rania! The next time you come to White Night Castle, I hope for more diverse traps…!”
“Hmm, I understand.”
As he was seen off by the shirtless, muscular warriors, Lac heads towards the capital. Inside the carriage that cuts through the snowy plains, Lac sets his resolves for the new semester.
‘I will grab the top place this term.’
He will beat Belnoa.
Having learned a lot and grown during the vacation, Lac smiles challengingly, envisioning his rival.
“Are you going back to the academy, Ayla?”
“Yes, Sister Lruiel. With the new semester starting… I think it’s time to head to the dormitory.”
“Alright, be sure to send lots of letters. Checking your schedule is part of my duties too.”
“…So, you’re not doing this because you want to hear from me?”
“Are you still hung up on that mindset… No, that professor’s words? Forget it. He’s a professor who enjoys saying absurd things.”
“Didn’t you say he was a trustworthy professor before?”
“Everyone slips up. That professor tends to slip up quite often.”
With Lruiel’s send-off, the Fourth Princess, Ayla, also heads towards the dormitory. Having learned a unique aspect of her older sister, Ayla had grown closer to Lruiel during the vacation.
“Thank you for teaching me during the break, Sister Lruiel.”
“I’m glad it helped.”
One of the esteemed pillars of the Ivory Tower.
When it comes to circuitry, Lruiel knows more than many scholars from the Magic Association. After receiving special tutoring from her, Ayla aims for the top position in circuitry for this semester.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave now.”
As the carriage carrying Ayla departs.
She gazes out the window, anticipating her encounters at Apuria. Various relationships and experiences. Now, it’s time to reap the connections she had cultivated during the first semester.
“Alright, mentor, we’re off then.”
“Are we finally leaving? Get out quickly. Man, you guys are so annoying.”
With a dismissive wave of his hand, Cardi waved off Belnoa, who stood up to prepare the luggage. What he held was not just his own belongings.
“Chloe, let’s hurry up!”
“Just wait a bit…!”
In no time, the storehouse door opened, and Chloe dashed out, tying her hair back as she exited. Just before stepping outside, wearing the Apuria uniform, she waved her hand towards Cardi.
“I’ll visit again after the break, mentor!”
“Try not to come back, just message me instead. Why do you keep coming to this cramped place…”
“Will you visit on weekends, if I say that again? Let’s go, Belnoa!”
Chloe takes her place next to Belnoa with quick steps.
It’s a long-desired life at the academy. With her childhood friend along, Chloe moves with enthusiasm.
“…You sure seem excited?”
“I can’t help but be!”
It’s not something to get excited about at all.
It’s a taste of hell you’ll experience.
You’ve been targeted by nightmares…
Such words rose to Belnoa’s throat, but she decided not to shatter her childhood friend’s dreams. These are things best learned through personal experience.
“Alright, let’s go.”
The season of preparation known as summer has ended.
The season of harvest is approaching.
Apuria Academy announced the start of the new semester amid the amber falling leaves. The beginning of the second semester.
Author’s Note
Somehow, it feels like part one is complete! Long hiatus!
It seems like one chapter has turned out to be quite like that, but… it isn’t really. It’s not the end of part one, nor is there a long hiatus. Updates will be coming again tomorrow and the day after for the dragon knight.
As I wrote, this turned out to be nearly 10,000 characters.
It was a bit delayed as I was tidying things up.
*After reading the comments regarding the TS theory of the Black Dragon Belial, I felt a wave of dizziness. While Skebal is a magnificent skeletal wreck… turning him TS won’t result in a beautiful girl, but rather a huge black dragon. And he’s not perverse enough to attempt that. Dragons, after all, are near-perfect beings. Hatchlings are produced like asexual reproduction.
