Episode 18

Dear friend Louisa,

Calling you a dear friend feels a bit cringe, doesn’t it? This is why I shouldn’t try new things! I just started writing this letter, and already I want to give up!

Is this my first letter to you? I mean, I haven’t had many occasions to write letters! Are you crying from getting a message from your long-lost bestie? If so, then not seeing each other is really a loss for me. If I hadn’t been put on probation, I could have seen you at the Academia! Oh wait, if I hadn’t been on probation, I guess I wouldn’t have needed to write this letter at all! Hohoho.

I wonder how the Chancellor is doing. When I was put on probation, I wanted to cut ties with everyone, including my teacher. But you know, my teacher isn’t that young either! No matter how monstrous they are in many ways, they’re still human. They can’t escape the passage of time, right? Occasionally, I find myself thinking about it. I guess I’m getting older. My sensitivity is peak! Ah, and you’re still a year older than me, and I’m still not regretting the probation situation!

Now, about my time spent on probation—let me tell you it was a whirlwind of surprises. What? You’re wondering what could possibly be surprising compared to working at the Academia? Oh, you bet there’s more!

You know I worked at the Schugenhartz Estate, right? There, I had two impressive students! They’re amazing in so many ways that you’ll likely be shocked when you see them. Of course, it’s because I’m an exceptional teacher that my students could show off their talents! Look for them during the Entrance Ceremony; you’ll know who I’m talking about!

What? You think I should just say who they are already? Nah, revealing it early would be boring. They stand out both in appearance and skill, so you’ll probably recognize them right away. You just wait and see!

Ugh, my arm hurts. I need to wrap this letter up. I can just tell you everything else when we meet, right? Honestly, I prefer talking over writing anyway. When we do meet, let’s drink deeply! Let’s drink until the break of dawn!
It’s more convenient to get things done. Let’s have a strong drink when we meet. Let’s drink until dawn!

Then, I’ll hold you to that day.

I’ll end it here. Take care.

Your only friend, Paula.

ps. The stuff in front of you isn’t garbage, it’s my baggage. I had no proper place to send it, so I asked you to keep it in your room. Don’t throw it away, alright? I’ll come pick it up soon~ Hohoho.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Crinkle.

A woman crumpled the letter she had just read into a fist. Her eyebrows knitted and veins surfaced, intensifying her already fierce expression.

“Damn that Paula⎯⎯⎯!”

The woman’s roar filled the room with mana, shaking the surrounding items. Clatter. The vibrating teacups sounded chaotic.

She had arrived in front of her room, hoping to take a break after work, only to be greeted by a massive pile of baggage.

At first, upon hearing that the owner was Paula, she contemplated pulling everything out and smashing it or throwing it into the lake outside the Academia.

But she barely held back and slowly inspected Paula’s belongings, discovering a small letter tucked in between. ‘At least she has some concept of decency,’ she thought as she unfolded it, yet the lazy attitude emanating from Paula’s words only fanned Louisa’s anger.

Thud⎯.

Louisa threw a punch at a special punching bag made for her. The punching bag bore the clear imprint of her fist. Not long after, it regained its original shape.

Created to calm her down, she had initially refused it, but after using it just once, it became her go-to, even more than a cigarette. Since she can’t hit people, this substitute has proven effective.

Thud⎯.

Another tremendous shockwave spread. The struck punching bag rippled, yet the person’s body remained untouched. A firm, sleek physique that seemed to have no excess fat.

“That bastard. I should just shove a wine bottle in his brain when he shows up.”

After delivering her second blow, Louisa could finally calm down. To an outsider, she might not appear calmed down, but it was a significant improvement.

“What kind of mess is this when that jerk is my peer?”

Paula and Louisa had been friends since their student days when they entered the Academia together. After graduating, they spent their time as heroes, and now both work as professors. You could say they share an unbreakable bond.

Louisa cracked her knuckles, thinking. Paula’s letter had made her furious and contained no important content, but there was something striking.

“Her students, huh?”

Given how worked up Paula got saying this, it’s not something to take lightly. After so many years, she knows that Paula wouldn’t care this much unless something truly sends shivers down her spine. The woman who ignores anything she finds uninteresting. The one who holds a certain authority in magic. Busy bragging about her students to boot.
He was busy bragging about being a disciple of God.

‘What kind of guys are they that he’s talking like this?’

Louisa furrowed her brow and checked the contents of the crumpled letter again.

*

The green feast spread across the ground was dazzling. The sparkling emerald grass flaunted itself in the sunlight. But then, as if a cloud had come to block the sun, everything bent down and changed color as if they had made a promise.

The world darkened as storm clouds gathered. Paula felt nostalgic in the shade. She admired the enormous something that blocked the sun.

“Long time no see, Academia, you look amazing!”

The city in the sky.

A symbol of magic.

Before its brave appearance, the grass could only bow its head.

The magnificent and noble floating aerial city was where she belonged—Hero Training Academy, Academia.

There were only two institutions in the world specializing in training heroes, including Academia. Perhaps that’s why this place, overseen by the church, boasted an unreal appearance.

“If I could take just 10% of that huge Mana Stone over there, I’d be incredibly rich.”

Paula chuckled, acknowledging that she was talking nonsense.

What she pointed to was the focal point that made Academia float in the sky, an endless mass of mana.

Its size was so overwhelming that Paula’s mention of 10% was equivalent to the size of a decent mansion. Not only could it not be taken, but it would be obvious too.

While working at Academia, its grandeur wasn’t always felt, but every now and then, looking at it from outside made her proud just to belong there.

Having ridden various mounts, Paula wanted to slowly walk and enjoy Academia from here, with the staff floating by her side.

The gentle breeze blowing over the shadowed ground felt delightful. The slight chill even invigorated her.

“Even if the Young Master doesn’t realize it, Alicia would surely be spellbound after seeing Academia, right?”

Paula chuckled to herself, imagining Alicia’s astonished expression. Although she didn’t tease her directly like Vargan, she secretly laughed every time she saw Alicia’s reactions. Not out of disdain, but because she found them adorable.

It would have been nicer to come with them, but Paula had many things to take care of first, so she couldn’t join.

But she wasn’t worried. She’d see them again at Academia. She’d surprise them with an even more developed self. Knowing they would meet again, parting felt less sad.

‘Alicia looked really gloomy though.’

She displayed an unusually weak demeanor when it came to goodbyes. Perhaps because of her sad past, even though she had transformed mentally and skill-wise, that part of her never changed. But that aspect was also part of Alicia’s charm.

“I wonder if Bram is doing well.”

It was hard to even catch a glimpse of Bram, as he was busy darting around everywhere due to Vargan’s incessant demands. He often looked utterly exhausted, rushing around with no idea what he was so busy with.
Bram, who was wandering around, was hard to look at. He often appeared exhausted, as though he were buried in fatigue.

From what I gathered, it seemed to involve Rubid Village, but the details were like a locked door with no key in sight.

When Vargan was asked about Bram’s whereabouts, he replied:

⎯You don’t need to know.

“What does he think of me as… that arrogant young master…! Ugh!”

Paula lightly kicked a stone lying by the roadside. There was no one around to see it. Just a little mana infused as a way to vent her frustration.

Of course, if there had been a regular person or animal around, it would have been enough force to cause serious harm, but with not a single shadow in sight, it was fine for now…

“Uh… huh?!”

Wait, why is a person suddenly popping out from that bush!

As a man unexpectedly appeared right in front of the speeding stone, Paula hurriedly reached out to stop its momentum.

But the stone was already flying straight towards the young man’s face.

“Whoa, that was close.”

Tzzzzzz⎯.

The stone halted in the young man’s hand.

Maybe he was knowledgeable about mana, as the mana around them flickered and sparks flew from where he caught the stone.

Whoever he was, it was a relief. If he were an ordinary person, he could have been seriously hurt for no reason.

“Phew… Ah, wait, that’s not it. Are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t think a person would come out from there…”

Paula approached the young man, calming her racing heart. Given the sudden incident, it would be natural for him to scowl, but instead, he smiled and seemed to alleviate her worries.

“Ah, I’m fine. It’s true that it’s not exactly the kind of place you’d expect a person to come out from. I’m not hurt. See?”

The young man spread his hand wide to prove he was alright. His hand bore several hardened calluses, likely freshly formed.

“I’m glad to hear you’re not hurt… but, um? Why were you there, anyway? There wasn’t even a proper path.”

“Well, you see…”

Rustle rustle. The branches of the bush the young man emerged from rustled softly. Then a woman followed him out, her voice tinged with annoyance.

“I told you to let me handle finding the path! No matter how I think about it, this isn’t even the road to Academia, let alone a path where people walk, and yet you forced your way in like this… Huh?”

‘Who….’

The woman, apparently the young man’s friend, was about to ask that when she noticed him grinning sheepishly and turned her gaze away.

Her eyes narrowed, putting pressure on him. Whenever this troublesome guy found himself in such a peculiar situation, it usually meant someone had made a mistake.

“What did you do now, Liam?”