EP.171 The Braver and the Nightmare (1)
‘It’s going smoothly.’
Three days into the special lecture, I suddenly had that thought.
Mana Trading Studies Professor’s Office.
I was flipping through the reports one by one with my feet up on the table. If the Master saw me, he’d have a fit, but what does it matter? The Master wasn’t here right now.
“Hmm, hmmm.”
I hummed a little tune.
‘This position is the most comfortable, what can you do?’
With my feet on the table, slightly leaning back, and my body relaxed. It’s a position anyone has tried once, but it gets you scolded by parents or elders for being foolish and lowly. But, as is usually the case, truth often resides in the most humble things.
‘It’s the most comfortable position. It must be the truth.’
A Mage should always pursue the truth.
I was just fulfilling my duties as a Mage.
Flap.
Soon enough, I reached the end of the reports I was turning over.
I focused on the last page of the report. It didn’t take long to confirm the remaining content.
“Hm.”
Thud, I set the report down as I murmured.
“Neat.”
Speculation, hypothesis setting, proof, conclusion.
Every step flowed smoothly. It was perfect. A flawlessly neat report.
“No wonder she’s the next Master of the Tower.”
The report submitted by Resti Elenoa was quite satisfactory. She had only had one class so far but seemed to be grasping the concepts.
‘She’s a sharp one.’
Some people can understand a hundred things from a single explanation.
Resti was exactly that type. I smiled seeing her unproven ‘speculations’ that she planned to address in the next report.
“There’s no need to worry about Resti…”
Now the concern was Chloe.
I glanced at the assignment Chloe had submitted early that morning. I had told them to turn in their assignments as soon as they were done, so it seemed like she submitted what she had finished…
“…She did it quicker than I expected?”
The volume was considerable.
The assignment I had given was for a week’s worth of work.
And today, on a morning with about three days left, Chloe had submitted what looked to be about 80% of it.
‘It doesn’t look like a hasty job.’
She had neatly drawn underlines with colored pencils. The report she submitted, while lacking compared to Resti‘s, was enough to merit a passing score.
“Oh…”
I found myself admiring it inwardly.
It seemed my expectations were off. I had planned to teach the basics since it had only been a little over a year since she learned from the Black Tower Master, but given the circumstances, it didn’t seem necessary.
‘At this rate, we could move ahead pretty quickly.’
The way she utilized what I taught her right away showed she had a decent head for studying.
“Hm.”
I stroked my chin.
Though I adjusted the assignment quantity since it was the first week, given this speed, I felt I could advance the schedule a bit.
‘Originally, I planned to increase it slowly.’
I had meant to gradually raise it, step by step, to avoid overwhelming them and causing a meltdown…
“Is it really okay to do it this way…?”
I figured I could ramp it up a bit more for the next class.
Overall, the results were quite satisfying. The plan to train the Hero was progressing smoothly.
‘That aside…’
I turned my head to check the time.
The appointment time was approaching.
‘I should head out soon.’
Tap tap.
I gathered the papers spread across the desk, tapped them to align, and pushed the neatly stacked papers to a corner of the desk. Then, I slid the desk with my foot.
Scrape.
After pulling the chair back to clear some space, I sprang up with a solid motion. Every movement flowed seamlessly. It was nearly perfect.
“Exhale.”
As I let out a short breath, feeling quite satisfied with my perfect movements…
“You’re quite the circus performer, aren’t you?”
A voice called from behind.
Startled, I jolted and turned around to see the Master leaning against the open door.
“Oh, um…”
“Why not show off a little more? It would be quite impressive if you could do a somersault while coming out, wouldn’t it?”
My face flushed red.
Seriously, what a time to show up.
“W-What did you see from the beginning?”
“I saw you putting your feet on the table and bobbing your head back and forth.”
“No, you could’ve at least said something…”
“I just wanted to see how far you’d go.”
The Master shook his head.
Huff, he sighed briefly and then quietly asked me.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to meet someone.”
“The Mage who came from another country?”
The Hero, Kelharlem, was being framed that way. Very few knew the truth behind it. I slowly nodded.
“It’s a little suspicious for someone to come over at this time.”
The Master rubbed his forehead.
“Seeing that you’re going to meet him yourself, he must not be a normal person.”
“Uh… Does that really matter?”
“Nine out of ten of your encounters end up in an incident. Well, I won’t ask about the details. But, just one request…”
The Master feigned a serious expression.
“Rania, I hope it doesn’t get noisy at the start of the semester. Live peacefully, quietly, and please don’t cause any trouble.”
I nodded.
I didn’t plan to create a fuss in Apuria, after all.
‘Peaceful, maybe not, but quietly. I’ll handle it discreetly so it won’t get noticed…’
Isn’t that just the same thing?
If there are no witnesses, it’s done quietly.
“Then, I’ll be off.”
“Okay, take care out there.”
I passed by the Master and stepped out of the Professor’s Office.
As I took out my magic tool from my pocket, it was blinking incessantly. It was the magic tool I exchanged with Kalt earlier. It had the meeting location marked on it.
[Arriving in thirty minutes.]
Braver, Kelharlem.
He was approaching Apuria.
2.
‘Should I just quit?’
Tracker Kalt had been lamenting about his situation a lot lately. He had no complaints about being retired from the battlefield and working as a Hound.
‘The salary is decent, the conditions are good, there’s honor, and power…’
It was a job with everything you could ask for.
He could utilize his strengths, making it a wonderful job. His coworkers called him “senpai,” respecting him for once having fought alongside the Heroes.
‘No issues with workplace relationships.’
Everything was good.
Except for one problem…
‘There’s too much work!’
There was so much work. More than enough to go around.
No matter how he looked at it, there was a problem with the workload. It felt like incidents had been happening one after the other lately. Most were related to the ‘old senpai,’ but this was not one of those cases.
The magic tool incident in the royal castle.
The collapse of communication networks with the battlefield.
To solve it, everyone in the castle was on their feet. Hounds and knights were frantically transporting new magic tools to the front lines, and they were busy restoring the communication networks without a moment’s pause.
In the midst of that, another incident occurred.
One of the Superhumans, who had been quiet until now, expressed his intention to visit the capital. While they say visiting, in truth, it was closer to a notification.
‘Most Superhumans are not easy to converse with.’
Superhumans, those who have transcended boundaries.
In exchange for overcoming the limits of humanity, they tend to lose something. This loss often leads to aberrations. Most Superhumans commonly have some issues mentally.
‘To be honest, expressing their crossing of boundaries by losing something is a more accurate description…’
Anyway, Superhumans are self-righteous beings.
When they declare their intentions, it’s like saying, ‘I’ll do this, so don’t interfere; just clear a path for me.’ And opposing that declaration is never an easy task. Not at all.
Superhumans are beings that transcend humanity.
Only another Superhuman or a Hero can stand against them. The royal family knew well that there was no benefit to stirring their ire.
Thus, they tended to comply with most demands. It would save everyone a lot of hassle.
‘Still, this feels a bit risky.’
Kalt was on high alert, keeping his senses sharp to guard his back. Behind Kalt, a Superhuman was walking alongside him.
The capital, specifically Apuria Academy.
The Superhuman who had expressed his intent to visit there.
‘Visiting Apuria itself isn’t an issue.’
The problem lay with the particular Superhuman making that declaration.
Kalt glanced over his shoulder for a moment. The Superhuman he was escorting was looking this way.
Braver, Kelharlem.
The Superhuman who had shattered walls with his madness.
He was the one to watch out for more than any other Superhuman.
Under normal circumstances, he would be prohibited from entering the royal capital. However, for some reason, this time permission had been granted. Kalt couldn’t understand the current situation.
‘What on earth were they thinking granting permission?’
It was tantamount to bringing a bomb into the heart of the kingdom, capable of obliterating an entire city.
“Huff…”
Kalt sighed briefly and halted his steps.
“Someone from Apuria will be arriving shortly to guide you. Please wait here a moment.”
“Is that so?”
Kelharlem replied in a voice devoid of inflection. In the midst of the forest, he stood without leaning against a tree or sitting on a stump.
“…”
Kalt perched himself on a stump, silently observing Kelharlem‘s figure.
Braver, Kelharlem.
He was a Superhuman he had encountered a few times on the battlefield.
However, Kalt still knew little about Kelharlem.
‘Physically, he appears to be in his mid-twenties.’
He seemed to be around his age.
This young man looked to be in his twenties, but in reality, Kalt recalled he was about one hundred thirty years old. The city of Artiya, the academic city of his homeland, had vanished into the annals of history over a century ago.
Rumor had it, he slaughtered spirits to extend his lifespan. Though he didn’t know the full details, it was clear he had found some means to prolong his life.
‘A man to be cautious of.’
Kalt evaluated Kelharlem as such.
He was an enigma.
There was no reading his thoughts or understanding his principles. The most inscrutable aspect was his eyes.
‘Gray eyes.’
His gaze was endlessly cold.
It felt as if there was nothing inside those eyes.
Expressionless, indifferent, hollow. He was someone whose very presence evoked words like those. He strangely resembled a puppet that moved according to orders.
“It seems they have arrived.”
While Kalt remained vigilant, monitoring Kelharlem, the latter raised his arm. He extended his fingers to point at something.
“Is that them?”
Kalt turned his head.
From across the forest, someone was approaching. The distance was considerable, but even from afar, the characteristics of that person were easily discernible.
Ashen-Haired.
That emblematic trait fluttered in the wind. Maintaining a steady pace, she approached Kalt‘s side.
“Good work, Kalt.”
Tap tap, she lightly tapped Kalt‘s shoulder as she passed by. Her steps were aimed toward Kelharlem, standing in the middle of the forest.
Thud.
She halted right in front of Kelharlem.
Bowing slightly, she glanced over him, then broke into a faint smile before speaking up.
“The shell hasn’t cracked yet, has it?”
“…”
Hearing that, Kelharlem furrowed his brow.
That was the first meaningful change in his expression.
“Do you know who I am?”
“I know you well.”
The Braver posed the question, and the Ashen Mage replied.
One question followed by one answer. They gazed at each other. Two eyes, one blue and the other gray, reflecting their colors just a step apart.
“Kelharlem Bel Artiya.”
Calling out his name, Rania extended her hand.
As if to shake hands.
“I am Rania van Trias. I’ll be your guide.”
