Chapter 42: The Proof of the Magic Swordsman (2)

No one suspected that I had approached Yuria and given her some kind of help.

The professors had been watching from the start, and to begin with, ‘Berel’s Rune’ wasn’t something that could be created just because someone lent a hand.

In any case, the verification exam continued, with only the final third stage remaining.

“The last verification will test the practical application of magic and swordsmanship. You must prove that you have the ability to utilize both visions appropriately in a real combat situation,” the Head of Development said, pointing to a makeshift facility set up on one side of the clearing.

Inside the facility, surrounded by transparent glass walls, a single cage stood alone.

“That facility is called the Suppression Field. Using a mana control device, it can temporarily block the flow of mana within the space. This creates a state inside the facility similar to ‘Mana Freeze.’”

The professors were well aware that Yuria had used both magic and swordsmanship to subdue a swamp orc during the Entrance Festival.

Of course, since I had saved her in the end, it couldn’t be called a complete subjugation.

Still, the professors found the story intriguing.

‘That’s probably why they prepared this kind of verification method.’

To see if she had truly used both swordsmanship and magic simultaneously in a real Mana Freeze state.

And to see through my insight, which had recognized her potential.

In a way, it was the most intuitive and definitive verification method.

The creature inside that cage was a swamp orc captured during the Entrance Festival.

In other words, this verification was a reenactment of that day.

I believed that Yuria, who had grown stronger since then, would be able to defeat the swamp orc without any trouble.

Of course, there was one variable.

Trauma.

If the trauma from that day, like the wound on her shoulder, still lingered in her heart, the outcome wouldn’t be as simple as a failed magic attempt, like earlier.

“There’s a swamp orc in that cage. It was captured during the entrance terror incident and has been used as research material until now. We don’t know how it compares to the one you fought back then, but we think it’s probably about the same. I heard you overwhelmed a swamp orc, right?”

Yuria glanced at me and nodded.

“All you need to do is show us the same strength you displayed back then, right here, right now.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

The Head of Development nodded but tilted his head, sensing a strange unease in Yuria’s question.

Then, he smirked.

“It’s research material, but it’s not a big deal if it dies. Still, you’d better be careful. That thing hasn’t eaten anything in a long time and has been locked up, so it’s extremely irritable.”

Despite the Head of Development’s warning, Yuria remained unfazed.

“Open it.”

At the Head of Development’s gesture, a staff member opened the door to the Suppression Field.

As soon as Yuria stepped inside, she drew her sword.

Srrrng──!

At the same time, with a low hum, the lights on the mana control devices installed around the Suppression Field lit up.

We outside couldn’t feel it, but the mana inside the Suppression Field was likely completely frozen at that moment.

Seeing this, the Head of Development gave the order.

“Open the cage.”

A staff member pulled a lever.

Clunk!

The cage’s iron bars lifted.

The swamp orc burst out from the darkness.

As it straightened its hunched back, it filled the roughly 10-pyeong (33 square meters) Suppression Field with its presence.

It was that massive.

Gasps of shock erupted from various onlookers.

“What, what is that? Is that really a swamp orc? It’s huge!”

“She’s a freshman, isn’t she?”

“Even if it’s a verification exam, if it goes like this…”

‘Could something go wrong?’ Though no one said it aloud, everyone could guess the unspoken words.

But contrary to expectations that the swamp orc would go berserk the moment it was released, it stood still, surveying its surroundings.

As if trying to assess the changed environment first.

It scanned the interior of the facility and sniffed the air.

Then, it locked eyes with Yuria, its red eyes glinting.

The tendons in its hand, gripping a steel club, began to bulge.

Seeing this, I was certain.

This one’s a ‘mutant.’

Just like the one that nearly killed Yuria, this orc could use [Berserk].

Moreover, having undergone who-knows-what procedures in the research lab, its aura felt even larger and more ferocious.

Krhoo!

The orc began circling Yuria, keeping a certain distance.

The tension in the air grew to its peak.

The weight of the atmosphere was entirely different from the previous verifications.

Someone’s gulp broke the silence, and the sound of racing heartbeats pounded in my ears.

Before I knew it, my palms were sweaty.

Did Yuria still carry trauma from that day?

The question was answered the moment the swamp orc charged at her.

Splatter!

A spray of blood splashed against the walls of the Suppression Field.

Those unfortunate enough to be near the walls flinched and stepped back in surprise.

“Wah! That scared me!”

“Ugh…”

Yuria stood frozen, her right knee bent, her sword lowered in the stance she had struck.

Behind her, the swamp orc lay collapsed.

Blood pooling from the orc began to form a puddle on the floor.

“What, what happened? What was that?”

“I don’t know. It was too fast to see properly.”

Most of the cadets voiced their confusion in their own ways.

Among those gathered, few had properly seen Yuria’s movements or understood the mechanics behind them.

Only a few professors and senior cadets could make rough guesses.

“It’s magic. She accelerated her body with wind attributes.”

“And that stance looks like the third form of Royal Swordsmanship… hmm?”

The professor analyzing Yuria’s swordsmanship trailed off, gaping at the scene unfolding before him.

“…What’s that? It’s not dead?”

The swamp orc was rising.

Its chest and abdomen were split open, its insides nearly spilling out, but it grabbed its club as if the wound meant nothing.

It had entered a state where it felt no pain due to [Berserk].

Kwooo!

With a roar, the swamp orc charged at Yuria again.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Yuria, who had been watching it calmly, adjusted her stance.

She widened her legs, lowering her center of gravity, and pointed her sword directly at the orc.

At that moment, a short gasp escaped my lips.

I recognized the stance.

High-Speed Swordsmanship, Form One.

What unfolded before our eyes could be summed up in a single word.

“…Pulverized.”

A chunk of meat sucked into a furiously spinning blender.

Before we knew it, the swamp orc had collapsed back into the pool of its own blood.

As if nothing had happened.

If not for the dozens of sword wounds covering its body, one might have easily believed it had simply used [Berserk] to rise again.

And then, silence fell.

“…”

The silence persisted until Yuria walked out after the Suppression Field’s door was opened.

Everyone stared at her.

The only one moving was me.

I approached Yuria.

“Hey, don’t come too close,” she said, stepping back to avoid me.

“You’ll get blood on you.”

She was filthy.

After all that chaos, it was no surprise.

But I didn’t care.

“You can wash it off.”

I took a big step forward and grabbed her hand.

“You did great.”

I pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her face.

“…Ugh, it’s dirty.”

“You can clean it.”

“…”

“What’s dirty about it? It’s not dirty.”

Yuria’s head snapped to the side.

Was it the heat from the consecutive exams?

Her ears and cheeks, visible through her hair, were red.

“…What about the verification? Is it over?”

She glanced toward where the professors were.

I saw them gathered in a corner, engaged in a heated discussion.

All their faces were serious.

“Hmm. For now? But it doesn’t seem like a decision will come right away.”

“Why not? I passed all the verification stages the professors prepared. Doesn’t that mean they’ll let me learn magic?”

I smiled at Yuria, who was grumbling with furrowed brows.

“It’s an unprecedented situation for the Academy. They’ll need to create a new curriculum, and there are probably a lot of issues to discuss.”

“…”

“But they won’t ban you from choosing magic during this Vision Selection.”

“And you’re still my mentor, right?”

“Of course.”

Only then did Yuria’s expression soften.

“Then that’s fine.”

At some point, Ivan had appeared beside us.

Behind him were the other cadets from the 890th class.

I tactfully stepped back.

As I withdrew, the cadets immediately surrounded Yuria, bombarding her with questions.

“What happened, Yuria?”

“Are you going to learn magic? What about swordsmanship? And when did you get so strong? That was insane!”

“If you learn both swordsmanship and magic, will you become like that?”

“As if, idiot!”

Yuria’s face flushed with embarrassment at the sudden flood of attention from her peers.

But soon, she regained her usual composure and began answering their questions one by one.

Her expression was filled with joy.

“I don’t know yet. I’ll learn magic, but it still needs the Dean’s approval…”

I turned away after watching up to that point.

The day had already turned to night.

A deep blue night sky.

I walked to a corner of the courtyard, where a small pond came into view.

I peered into the pond.

Inside, a bright yellow moon and a cluster of stars seemed to have plunged into the water.

I was there, too.

And so was another person.

“You proved it, didn’t you?” he asked as soon as he stood beside me.

The laughter in his deep voice felt like that of a playful boy.

“Will you allow Yuria to learn magic?” I asked.

Dean Bell Toro shook his head.

“That’s a given. The ‘proof’ I’m talking about isn’t about Yuria. It’s about you.”

“Pardon?”

“Despite the many restrictions, you recognized Yuria’s potential and you had the judgment and execution to boldly push for it. You just proved that.”

Oh.

“I found that part impressive. Honestly, most people wouldn’t be able to believe in it so easily. Especially not a fellow cadet.”

Right? he said, looking at me.

“Come to think of it, it’s strange. The swamp orc incident, catching a villain and earning an honorary medal, and now this. When you look at it, it makes you wonder if there’s something special about you.”

He smiled meaningfully as he spoke.

Something special.

There is something.

But it’s practically my entirety, so I couldn’t tell him.

“…You’re giving me too much credit. It’s just… coincidence.”

“Coincidence? You’re saying it’s all luck?”

“Yes. Of course, I worked hard. But without luck, I wouldn’t have managed any of it.”

“Hmm.”

The Dean stroked his chin and spoke.

“But you need skill to seize that luck, don’t you?”

“…”

“Anyway, I have high expectations for you. Keep working hard for our Academy like this. Oh, and don’t worry about Yuria’s case—I’ve already spoken to the Vice-Dean.”

With those final words, the Dean fell silent.

As if he had never been there, when I turned my head, he was gone.

Or perhaps he was never there to begin with.

Maybe all I saw was his reflection in the pond.

I stood there for a moment, lost in thought.

About Bell Toro, the man.

But my musings didn’t last long.

Just as I didn’t know who he truly was, he didn’t know the ‘me’ inside Gerard.

So why bother wrestling with it alone?

‘I have high expectations for you.’

I couldn’t know his true intentions, but one thing was clear from our conversation.

The Dean viewed me favorably.

That was enough.

No need to overthink it.

In the end, the situation was moving in the direction I had planned, wasn’t it?

***

The next day.

Standing in front of the mirror, I pulled my Academy dress uniform from the wardrobe and put it on for the first time in a while.

The tailored fit and the various ornaments on the chest and shoulders made it inconvenient for movement, but its elegance and splendor were undeniable.

I tucked the formal hat with its golden feather under my arm and stepped out of the dormitory.

Two people spotted me and waved.

Yuria and Ivan.

“Over here, Senior!” they called.

Dressed in their formal uniforms, the pair was dazzling in their own right.

“What’s this? Why do you two look so good today?”

“Don’t lie,” Yuria said.

“I’m serious. Right, Ivan?”

“Haha! Of course. Yuria’s always pretty.”

Amid Ivan’s laughter, I caught Yuria’s faint mumble.

“…Both of you.”

I looked at her, puzzled, but she had already closed her mouth and was looking elsewhere.

“Huh? Did you say something?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

She definitely said something.

Seeing her resolute expression, I let it slide.

“Hey, Ivan.”

“Yes?”

“Why’s your laugh so loud?”

“…Pardon?”

“Are you an ogre?”

Still, I had to say what needed saying and so, we headed to Aidan Auditorium.

To the place where, long ago, the saga of a great hero had begun.

Today, our Honorary Merit Medal ceremony was held there.

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