From that day on, training with Rena followed after classes.
She said it was good to be fully prepared before dueling with Sera.
Since there was no harm in being prepared, I learned magic under her.
I could cast stronger magic than Rena, but I didn’t understand it as deeply as she did.
What I was using was simply a pale imitation of someone else’s abilities. My knowledge of magic was not particularly extensive.
In that regard, Rena was quite a good teacher. She brought me, who didn’t even know how to use mana, to this level.
Three days passed like that.
“Iria, what’s your mana amount right now?”
“I think it was around 600 when I measured it yesterday.”
“Your growth is impressive. The initial measurement was a bit strange, you see. It was when you had never used mana at all. It probably isn’t a low maximum amount, though.”
The average mana amount for first-years was about 700.
Soon, it seemed I might reach the average level.
Lately, I had been using magic stones more frequently, so I noticed that the mana in my body had increased significantly.
To be honest, if I had magical energy, I didn’t feel the need for mana much. Most of the time, I could use it as a superior substitute for mana.
But right now, I was hiding my identity as a monster. I thought I needed to learn how to use mana as well.
“You can only use wind magic, right?”
I nodded.
I wasn’t exactly sure what kind of being I was, but assuming I was half monster and half human, my talents were more ordinary than I thought.
I didn’t have a particularly high total mana amount, and the elemental magic I could use wasn’t impressive either.
That was the ordinary level, but considering Rena could handle three elements and Sera four, I wasn’t sure.
Should I consider the academy’s standards overly high?
“Anyway, I have good news, Iria.”
“······?”
“Fire magic is easy to deflect with wind. You’ll probably get it quickly once you get used to it!”
Rena said this as she conjured flames with her hand. After glancing around a few times to ensure no one was around, she increased the firepower.
A deep red flower ignited around her. The radius was quite large, forcing me to take a step back.
“I showed you how to effectively use wind magic last time, right?”
“······.”
“Then today, let’s practice deflecting fire. I’ll be your practice partner.”
Saying this, Rena aimed the flames at me.
She just waited, aiming, but I decided to catch her flames.
I channeled the mana within me and wrapped it around the wind spell. Thanks to my training, I could feel that I was extracting the mana faster and more intricately than before.
Then, I covered the spell with a talent I had imitated from someone else.
A turquoise light flickered around me. A gentle breeze whipped my long hair.
Now that I was getting used to handling mana, I had a better sense of my limits.
I could now produce a bit stronger wind. My mana amount had increased.
–Whoosh!
The red and turquoise colors blended beautifully in the meadow. Rena released the flames she had aimed at me one by one.
As they flew, I saw them and opened a wind barrier. I read the trajectory of the flames, drawing curves with my hand to deflect them.
The flames merged as the red wind blew through the meadow. It was a threatening heat wave that could burn me with just a light touch.
Yet, my body had not a single scratch. It wasn’t just because of my exceptional physical durability.
I could say I simply dodged. The trajectory of the wind I swept away redirected Rena’s flames.
All of Rena’s flames scattered in the air without even grazing my body.
I tilted my head slightly.
“Is this how it’s done?”
“Iria! You’re a genius!”
Rena rushed over and hugged me tightly.
Then she ruffled my hair, but since Rena had a huge chest, it was a little hard to breathe.
*
Three more days passed.
After a light duel with Rena, who had been my training partner, I could feel the difference in my abilities.
It’s not a saying for nothing that dueling is the best way to improve personal skills.
With the duel against Sera just a day away, I could physically sense my progress.
First of all, my mana amount had significantly increased. The last measurement was just over 600, but now it showed around 660.
I was now between the beginner and intermediate level. I found out late that 660 was quite high for ordinary individuals, far from magic users.
But that wasn’t the only change.
The speed at which I extracted and deployed mana increased exponentially compared to before.
Previously, it took a long time to find a tiny bit of mana within my body full of magical energy, but now the proportion of mana had increased significantly, so it was much quicker.
I could now extract and retrieve mana whenever I wanted.
After finishing the duel, I was walking through the park inside the academy late at night. There was no particular reason; it was just the direction home after sparring with Rena.
Then I spotted a figure sitting on a bench in between.
It was a man with blue hair and glasses, holding a book in one hand.
Even though it was late and the park had darkened, he was engrossed in reading. Was he really seeing the words? As I got a little closer, I saw he was relying on the streetlight to read.
I recognized him. Didn’t I sit next to him on that bench once before?
‘Albert.’
I murmured his name to myself. Unlike usual, I didn’t sit beside him this time. I avoided him because he was quite a troublesome figure to meet right now.
After that incident underground, I had been deliberately avoiding him. If my guess was right, his condition wouldn’t be normal.
He had wiped a significant memory all at once; I didn’t know what would happen if I faced the culprit who stole it.
I instinctively felt repelled by someone whose main job was hunting monsters.
Now wasn’t the time for greetings.
Deciding to walk past him like before, I ignored him and continued walking.
“Iria.”
Then I stopped.
Albert called out to me before I left completely, closing the book he held.
I turned my head.
“Can we talk for a moment?”
Albert was looking at me while adjusting his glasses.
The late-night park was quiet. Unlike the usual ruckus, no one’s voice or footsteps could be heard.
Yet, from where I stood, the park didn’t seem so quiet.
There was a subtle tension in Albert’s eyes as he gazed at me. If I listened closely, I could hear the rapid beat of his heart and the flickering sound of blue mana.
I slowly walked over and sat next to him. He didn’t seem to be thinking of fighting me at least.
If all he wanted was a conversation, I had no reason to refuse.
Thus, a period of silence passed.
I wasn’t exactly chatty by nature. I decided to give him time to organize his thoughts while sitting beside him.
“Well, where should I start? It’s been a while.”
“······.”
Up close, Albert’s complexion didn’t look very good. One of his eyes was covered by a patch, and he looked exhausted, like he hadn’t slept well.
I couldn’t figure out why he had called me. I still couldn’t read his memories without using magic. So, I waited.
“Why did you call me?”
Eventually, I spoke first. I figured it would take an eternity if I didn’t break the silence.
Albert stayed quiet for a bit, then slowly opened his mouth.
“Are you not human?”
“······.”
Not human.
It was a question I couldn’t answer.
I was hiding the fact that I was a back alley monster, and honestly, I didn’t even know what my true identity was.
I was not human because I fed on humans. If I had to categorize myself, I would be closer to a monster.
A pureblood monster I asked about my identity said I wasn’t even a monster. They had never seen a being like me before; even monsters saw me as a monster.
So, I didn’t respond to Albert’s question. I didn’t even grasp the intention behind his question.
Was he suspecting me because of that day?
But he probably wouldn’t have certainty. He wiped my memory. If he was sure, he would have struck with lightning immediately.
After pondering for a moment, I looked into Albert’s eyes. As expected, he didn’t seem confident in his words.
He couldn’t meet my gaze at all. It looked like he was hesitating to say something.
It would have been easier if I could read his memory right now. I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.
‘Should I kill him after all?’
I had no weapon, but Albert seemed much weaker than before.
Now would be a perfect time, as there were no witnesses. It wouldn’t be hard to kill him.
If I decided to, he would become just another human unlucky enough to be attacked by a back alley monster.
But I waited.
Albert had asked me to talk.
I could decide whether to kill him or not after hearing what he had to say.
“······Why do you think that?”
I asked him.
It was a beautiful night, with the moonlight glowing. Perhaps I felt that way in the intoxicating deep morning air.
I felt it, and so did Albert, probably.
I stood up from the bench and stood in front of Albert. Conversations didn’t necessarily have to happen while sitting.
My silver hair waved in the dawn breeze, reflecting the moonlight, creating a somewhat surreal atmosphere.
The air was just right. For a back alley monster that shows hallucinations and dreams to others, it was an ideal environment.
I lightly raised the magical energy within me. A negligible amount of magical energy spread like mist around me, so Albert wouldn’t notice.
Whatever happened today, he would forget it like a dream.
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