*
It was fall at Grand Hertz Academy, the leaves were falling, and the new semester had begun after the Demon King’s attack.
The cool breeze welcomed me as I walked out after unpacking my stuff in the dormitory building that had just finished repairs. The path, neatly paved with stones, felt great underfoot. Was it newly laid?
“Licht, you here?!”
“Kainel, good to see you.”
A blond hero suddenly came up behind me, throwing an arm around my shoulder. Had Kainel and Ariel been spending their vacation back in their hometown?
“Hey, Pina!”
The red-haired mage was standing a little closer to the hero now. Looks like I have to boost their affection levels myself. Number didn’t go up at all over break.
‘The updates are slow, and I couldn’t check that perverted dude’s name here.’
Do I have to personally observe or confirm relationships to see them in the status window? Nex, Celestial Demon, and Dennis were the same.
As I mulled over my questions about the status window, Ariel spoke to me.
“Hey Licht, where’s Mardol?”
“Oh, Mardol?”
She was asking about the whereabouts of Pina Grancia, who had vanished from our midst. When we were around each other, we called her Pina, but outside, we decided on the alias Mardol.
If her identity as a princess got out, it would attract too much attention. The other nobles at the academy would have an easy time targeting her.
It was my idea to respect her wishes even if she gets found out eventually.
“..There she is.”
I pointed to the glass knight in heavy gauntlets hidden between the trees. Ever since I gave her a kiss back in the north, she’s been keeping her distance.
Seeing that I noticed her, Pina flinched and shivered. Now that we share a magic circuit, I know where she is anyway.
Even after sending her several evening greetings with telepathy, I only got back the cute response of ‘perverted mutt…’
“Mardol, what’s the matter? Come over here!”
“Ariel.. just stop…”
Pina was clutching a branch with leaves in both hands. Did she think that would hide her? Unable to bear it, Ariel grabbed her arm and pulled her over.
“Hello, Mardol.”
Pina was shying away, embarrassed about her childish behavior. I lifted my mask to greet her, so she wouldn’t feel scared.
“Licht.. hello..”
I forced a gentle expression, but Pina replied nervously in a tiny voice.
“What’s up with you two…?”
“…”
Ariel’s eyes widened, sensing the awkwardness between Pina and me. I couldn’t just tell her what happened; how could I explain that we shared a bath and kissed in the north? My cheeks felt warm, and I quickly closed my mask.
“…Licht, did you sign up for classes?”
“Oh, of course.”
To break the awkward atmosphere, my golden retriever switched the topic to the updated college courses for the second semester.
“Even just the required electives felt overwhelming.”
“Still a first-year; next year will probably revolve around your specialties.”
Am I going to keep seeing Master Drake until I graduate? He dislikes those with low agility in mana control, so it feels like it’ll be harsh training only.
“My first class is with Professor Dennis.”
The class signaling the start of the morning was Applications of Battle Magic.
It was a course you needed to take basics in the first semester before you could enroll, and now it would be advanced techniques explained by the original protagonist, who had escaped the Demon King’s powers.
“Mardol, let’s go.”
“Uhuh…”
I held Pina’s hand and walked toward the lecture building together. If she drifted away from me, I wouldn’t be able to help it but chase after her.
After all, I can’t use magic without her. Pina made some weird noise, but I decided to ignore it. If I’m slightly proactive like this, maybe the hero couple will take a hint.
*
When I saw Dennis in class, he looked better than ever, no longer drenched in alcohol.
“Welcome, students! I’m Dennis, and I’ll be running this semester’s Applications of Battle Magic course.”
His eyes, which previously gleamed with a white aura, had returned to their original blue, and his typical drunken stagger was gone, replaced by confident movements.
“Most of you have seen me last semester, but this class will take the skills you learned to a new level. For example…”
Dennis drew a cross with chalk.
“Our world is made up of the x, y, and z-axis in spatial coordinates, along with the t-axis being time.”
He was slightly trembling, probably from quitting alcohol abruptly, but he wore a faint smile. It makes sense; he just reunited with the Celestial Demon.
“Theoretically, if you understand spatial and time coordinates, traveling to another world isn’t impossible.”
Can I skip completing the Grand Route and just go back home, then? I glanced at Pina next to me but quickly shook my head to dismiss the bad thoughts.
There are still three Demon Kings left; I must make it a happy ending. When our eyes met, Pina jumped and slammed her book shut.
Seems she was drawing something while staring at me instead of the chalkboard. Suddenly, I lost my train of thought when Dennis called out to Kainel.
“Kainel.”
“Yes.”
Dennis paused mid-sentence and pointed with his chalk at the blond-haired hero, who answered calmly.
“Your attribute is light, and your swordsmanship also seems aligned with that.”
“Correct, Professor Dennis.”
The blue-haired professor began explaining again, using techniques like Shine Strike as examples. He opened his palm and created a 3D magic circle.
“Kainel, what do you think would happen if light were to move faster than the speed of time?”
“…What would happen?”
An air of silence filled the classroom, and Dennis, with a confident grin, began to spin the orbit of the 3D magic circle.
The orbit gained speed until it appeared as a ring. It inflicted wounds around the large magic circle and tore it apart.
“See for yourself.”
As time passed and the orbit stopped spinning, the ripped magic circle resembled leaves being eaten by insects.
“This is how one can tear the time line.”
I remember seeing that on TV once. That hero wearing red underwear over blue pants and a cape says he turns back time by flying in the opposite direction of rotation or something.
“What does it mean to tear the time line?”
“It’s still theoretical. Altering or erasing specific moments may be possible.”
Dennis expanded the 3D magic circle even bigger with one more hand gesture. I noticed some magic circles he frequently used.
“Uh? There’s something weird about one of the magic circles! Professor!”
Ariel was the first to notice something off and pointed out a distorted magic circle. Dennis nodded, seemingly hinting at its intentionality.
“It’s definitely a Heavy Rain magic circle, but something feels off!”
“Yes, you’re correct, Ariel.”
It was like someone had scooped out the crust from a pizza. The rain-inducing spell had transformed into a magic circle that summoned a downpour instead.
“This magic is intended to bring rain. But it has turned into a downpour. Can you explain why?”
“Because it touched the ‘time’ of rain, right, Professor!”
“Correct!”
Ariel is indeed a genius mage. She quickly untangled the difficult and complex question, showcasing a refreshing exchange between protagonists.
“I wonder if the ultimate limit that Kainel, who wields light magic, should reach lies this way.”
“The light that… defies time…”
Kainel stood there, stunned, like someone who had just received shocking news. It makes sense; they were meddling with the concept of ‘time,’ which is driven by the notion that light is ‘fast.’
“When this class ends, I believe you all will be able to touch on different ‘concepts’ using the skills you possess.”
Dennis, placing both hands on the podium, announced the new learnings. It was an emotional moment to see the sober Dennis firsthand.
“Magic defies the physical laws of reality.”
Taking a deep breath, Dennis slowly began to speak. Using mana allows one to break the laws, providing different speeds than usual, and…
“Join me in challenging the extremes, students.”
Magic imbues weapons and gear with attack and defense stats. A light hero who can tear the time line sounds pretty awesome.
‘But the Kainel I saw in the game didn’t have any of that. Maybe I twisted things too much?’
It didn’t even make sense that Dennis had been freed from the Head’s curse at this point.
According to history, reunion with the Celestial Demon wouldn’t happen until near the end of the Night Heart tale.
Good comes from good, right? It’s not fair for such happiness, driven by ignorance’s power, to be forgotten entirely.
There was a reason I wanted to save Pina, but it was also right for these two to meet earlier.
‘If I hadn’t been here, they wouldn’t have met until at least five years later.’
Had my luck turned sour and I failed to deal with the Head, they might still be missing each other even after ten years. A sense of accomplishment filled my shoulders, and I felt proud.
“This week, I’ll perform checks on the magic each of you possesses.”
Just as Dennis was about to call the students from the attendance list, he suddenly revealed a playful expression, as if an idea sparked in his mind.
“Licht.”
“Yes, Professor.”
I was the first on the list. It didn’t seem to be in alphabetical order.
Dennis stopped me and visually inspected me from head to toe. Even if I can’t use magic alone, I should be able to if I hold hands with Pina.
I finally felt relaxed enough to attend this lecture without worry.
“What do you think is the difference between a dragon and a human?”
After a moment of silence, Dennis threw me a question. Was it because of the Dragon Heart implanted in my body?
“…The difference in mana capacity?”
I wasn’t even playing as a dragon for crying out loud. I had picked a regular human character named Licht to play the game, so this question was unfamiliar to me.
I did my best to piece together the gaming knowledge I had and replied. Dragons are creatures that primarily consume beings with mana to survive.
The strong consume the weak. That’s what dragons are.
“Exactly; if the average human’s mana capacity is like a drop of wine.”
While they were fiercely possessive about treasures, like collecting rare items, that didn’t seem to be the correct answer. Dennis surely knew what was inside my body.
“The mana capacity of a dragon is about the size of a barrel.”
“That’s quite a lot.”
“The source of mana is the heart. Therefore, Dragon Hearts sell for a high price.”
I knew it was an expensive item when reselling it at shops, but I had no idea it was that rare. It was a moment I felt grateful to Pina for having implanted such a precious object in me.
“Honestly, it’s better to meet the actual party than to explain things myself.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
Whiiip! Dennis put two fingers in his mouth and whistled. Suddenly, a dark shadow loomed over the academy.
“If left alone, my wife tends to worry exceptionally.”
“Don’t tell me…”
“Let others introduce themselves. The second-ranked of the Ten Heroes.”
The outside brightened again as a brown-haired woman flew in through the window. She had the form of an eastern dragon, sporting antlers and a dragon’s tail, modified through polymorph.
“And my current wife… White Lily!”
“Are these Dennis’s students? They look quite interesting!”
My second mentor, White Lily, appeared and grinned, baring her teeth. A couple teaching a class, huh? This is getting amusing!
