[■■■■■!!!!]
Demonic beasts rushed in, howling.
They charged at the people fleeing in fear, caught off guard.
The glinting claws and teeth of the beasts attacked the backs of the people.
In that moment, just as someone was about to scream,
a magic circle appeared out of nowhere, binding the beasts that were charging at the people.
In front of the panicking crowd, a blonde boy with droopy eyes slowly stepped forward and spoke.
“Don’t worry. I’ve come to save you.”
With that one line, the boy calmed the people. As Dwight Neinhart waved his hand in the air, sharp ice pillars shot up from beneath the bound demonic beasts.
Just as Dwight was observing the beasts skewered by the ice, another scream echoed out.
A new wave of beasts appeared, targeting the people on Dwight’s side.
Before Dwight could cast a spell on the beasts, an explosion of flames suddenly engulfed the other group of beasts in an instant.
Looking at the scene, Dwight muttered in complaint.
“I could clean this up without anyone needing to interfere, you know.”
“Well, I get it, but it’s a group assignment… I need to do something.”
As I approached after clearing the beasts, Dwight slightly frowned.
It was clear he was internally thinking, “What a waste. This was a precious opportunity to test my magic on the beasts…”
I knew that he could handle the beasts easily without needing to step in, but today’s training was about cooperation.
The purpose of today’s training was to experience a situation where beasts invaded the city with a paired team and to rescue citizens as smoothly as possible through collaboration.
My teammate was Dwight from Group B, and when I expressed my opinion that since it’s a joint training, I couldn’t just stand by, Dwight, albeit reluctantly, loosened his furrowed brow.
While we were protecting and evacuating citizens in the city created by Ms. Eve’s illusion, Dwight looked towards me and said.
“By the way, you’ve noticeably grown stronger since I first saw you. I’m almost respectful of how much effort you’ve put in to evolve so rapidly.”
“Ah… well, it’s not something that requires special effort…”
I unconsciously lowered my head at Dwight’s words.
Effort, effort.
I had been attending classes diligently and enduring the tough training, so it had to be true that I was getting stronger.
If that was the reason I had become stronger, I probably could’ve been a bit more confident.
But in reality, the noticeable increase in my physical ability and the firepower from my body were the result of something I had only come to realize recently.
Every time I encountered miasma, my body had been growing stronger.
It was not the result of effort, but simply my body transforming closer to that of a witch.
That’s why being praised for my effort by someone like Dwight felt nothing but embarrassing.
If we simply talked about effort, Dwight was likely to be ahead of anyone else in the academy.
He came to class every day with dark circles under his eyes, so what kind of effort was I talking about in front of him?
As I felt embarrassment clouding my face, Dwight smirked and continued.
“Well, then it means you’re a genius. Is that it?”
“Ah… no, someone like me can’t be a genius… You’re the real genius here…”
When the word “genius” slipped out of his mouth, I was taken aback and shook my head in denial.
The term genius didn’t quite fit anyone in the academy as much as it did with this guy standing in front of me.
The genius of magic, Dwight Neinhart, was the very rival of Yoon Si-woo in the original story.
To hear the word genius from such a monster of talent startled me, and Dwight, with a calm expression, responded.
“Of course, I’m a genius. An extraordinary one at that.”
Though it was a fact, hearing him say it so confidently left me a bit stunned, and Dwight opened his mouth again.
“I’ve known since long ago that my talent is outstanding, even objectively. Being called a genius means I can see more than ordinary people. Yet, even in the eyes of a genius like me, your growth rate is particularly exceptional. Consequently, it’s evident that there’s overwhelming effort behind that growth. Isn’t that so?”
Since I couldn’t talk about the witch-related story, I couldn’t say the truth, but just as I was about to deny that blush-inducing interpretation,
“While physical abilities or strengths can belong to the realm of talent, the improvement in your techniques is purely thanks to effort and mastery.”
Dwight’s words shut my mouth again.
“I’ve never thought I would lack talent compared to someone. But I felt the difference in talent against that white-haired guy who defeated me in our duel. However, I wasn’t shocked about it. That was unavoidable.”
Dwight quietly closed his eyes as he spoke.
A moment later, when his eyes opened, they were brightly illuminated, directed straight at me.
“However, I’ve never imagined losing to someone due to effort. That’s why I was shocked. Seeing you repeatedly challenge yourself in Ms. Natalia’s special class and eventually reach the end, for the first time in my life, I felt like I lost because of hard work. It was my first experience of feeling defeat in my life.”
Dwight’s words surged up memories of that moment in my mind.
The recollection of that day when I persevered through hardships and achieved results.
The fruits of effort that I achieved solely through my own hard work, unrelated to the power of the witch.
And directed at that version of me, Dwight spoke.
“I am a mage. A mage does not believe in anything other than what he has seen with his own eyes. And at the very least, you are someone who puts more effort into things than anyone I’ve seen. So stand tall. Do not belittle your own efforts. You are someone who can take pride in your own efforts. You are the one who made me feel that sense of defeat.”
At those words, I felt something swell up inside me.
Regardless of anything related to witches, it felt as if my efforts undertaken until now were finally being recognized.
That made me a bit happy, and I nodded.
After that, a moment of silence passed.
As the emotions from before settled down, a slight blush mixed with confusion arose.
To be honest, apart from having spoken a few times with Dwight, we didn’t have much in common, and
most importantly, I had never imagined this guy would say such things…
“By the way, thank you for recognizing my efforts, but why suddenly say something like that…?”
Curious, I asked, and Dwight responded with his usual lazy eyes, as if the previous vibe had faded away.
“I just thought you might be overdoing it with your training. Hmm… You seem fine today, but I felt like you hadn’t been sleeping at all the other day. Am I wrong?”
I was startled by his words.
Though I hadn’t been staying awake for training…
I thought I had hidden the fact that I had trouble sleeping well at the academy, but how did he know?
As I flinched and shot him a vigilant glance, Dwight casually replied.
“Curious about how I knew? Well, it seemed like you were trying hard not to show it, but I’m practically an expert at training while sacrificing sleep. Moreover, as I said earlier, being a genius means you see a bit more than others. So it’s easy to notice things like that.”
Oh… so that’s how it is… Being a genius seems a bit scary…
As I pondered that, my more fundamental question was still unanswered, so I threw it back at Dwight.
“By the way, does that mean you were worried about me?”
“Yes. Staying up all night is fine, but I sensed you weren’t taking care of yourself. Seeing you makes me feel inspired again; I hoped that the person I’d developed a rival consciousness with wouldn’t fall apart. And above all, since we attend the same academy together. Effort is important, but everything should be done in moderation. Moderation.”
Dwight answered in a calm voice, but I was immensely touched by his response.
I never expected a seemingly indifferent guy like him would say something like “colleague”…
Could he actually be a cold character hiding a caring side?
As I silently chuckled to myself, I turned to look at Dwight’s side profile when I suddenly realized there was a massive contradiction in his statement and decided to point it out.
“Hey, isn’t it a bit contradictory for you to tell someone to be moderate while sporting dark circles under your eyes?”
“Unlike others, I meticulously calculate my body’s limit and cut down on sleep, so there’s no problem. Besides, this is moderation for me. I can’t bear to lose time researching magic just because I need sleep.”
Dwight’s sincere reply made me feel a kind of madness emanating from him.
Was that the feeling when I saw him ardently studying magic all night?
With a somewhat dazed expression, I asked him.
“…You really love magic, huh? What makes it so special?”
“Because it’s a field of study with endless possibilities. I can’t help but be drawn to it.”
Dwight, who indeed seemed like a magic otaku, lit up as soon as the topic of magic came up and answered in a voice slightly louder than usual.
“Battle magic used to defeat demonic beasts is attractive, but don’t you think the other types of magic useful in daily life are also fascinating? If one has the ability, like my ancestor’s barrier that protects the city, it’s a scholarly field that can greatly contribute to the survival of humanity. My dream is to create magic that can help people long after, like my ancestor, the great mage Viola Neinhart. To fulfill that dream, I cannot afford to waste time sleeping.”
“…You really admire your ancestor.”
“Of course. The barrier itself is beautiful. It prevents miasma from invading and also plays a role in sealing… It’s undeniably excellent magic. In that sense, today’s training devised by Ms. Eve has very little practicality. With a barrier in place, the beasts won’t run rampant within the city.”
“…Still, there could be unforeseen circumstances like last time when they controlled people, right?”
“Ugh… That was because I didn’t anticipate the existence of beasts that could control humans even when weakened. Under normal circumstances, once a demonic beast passes through a barrier, it definitely can’t exert its full power.”
As I conversed with Dwight, we had arrived at the shelter while leading the citizens.
Just then, I wondered if the other teams had finished, and behind me, I heard a loud thundering sound.
“Yah-hoo~ Looks like you’re done over there too!”
“Ugh…”
At the cheerful voice, Dwight made a grimace and cast a protective barrier, but against the swiftly charging pink girl named Florene, it was futile.
When Florene embraced the barrier Dwight created with all her might, it shattered like a cookie.
As a result, Florene, beaming with a bright smile, clung tightly to Dwight’s back while making a disgusted face and asked me.
“I saw you guys chatting passionately on the way. What were you and Dwight talking about?”
“Uh… Just a bit about magic?”
“Aha! You know Dwight loves magic too much! It seems like he’s always around when magic is needed! Even helping my Papa with deploying the magic circle for teleportation!”
Deploying a magic circle?
As I raised my brow in curiosity, Dwight wiped Florene off him with an exasperated expression and replied.
“Sigh… I’m helping with the installation of the teleportation barrier conducted by the Dolos Family. It’s an important task, and large-scale magic circle installations are excellent experiences.”
“…Weren’t you helping out at the hospital as Ms. Eve’s assistant last time?”
“I just go where there’s magic needed, and where experience can be gained.”
…Truly an impressive guy.
While I shook my head in admiration, Florene, who had sprung away from Dwight, came racing over to me, shouting.
“Hehe, since it seems like Dwight dislikes it, I think I’ll go to Scarlet!”
Last time, after mindlessly accepting Florene’s approach, I ended up being forcibly stuck with her for an hour, so I ignited flames on my body to prevent such an incident.
Seeing my intense refusal, Florene pouted and muttered, “Aw, that’s too bad. I could have gotten closer to Scarlet.”
…Thinking back, when I received those cosmetics as a gift last time, Florene had also figured out I hadn’t been sleeping.
Could she also be a genius?
As I pondered that thought, Marine came charging in from a distance, scolding, “Florene! Didn’t I tell you not to act individually during training?!” and I cracked a smile at Florene’s pitiful expression.
That girl is a genius? What nonsense.
They say the line between a genius and a fool is just a piece of paper.
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