Occasionally, settings in games or movies can be a bit over the top.
When the setting steps outside the bounds of normalcy, the intrigue and curiosity it generates can draw attention to the creative work itself, but there are cases where it can go a bit too far.
Take, for example, the Academy in this world, the “Bread Academy”.
-Does it make sense that a princess can’t be admitted just because her mana pockets are small?!
A rule that prohibits admission to those with less than a C-cup size.
This admission policy, so brutally cruel that it seems excessively harsh towards young girls, does not discriminate based on social status.
Some might argue that it’s not a big issue because this rule is applied equally to all 17-year-old girls, regardless of their status.
‘After all, growth can vary from person to person.’
The influence of genetics.
The influence of environment.
The influence of talent.
The influence of mana.
Given that growth up to the age of 17 can vary due to a complex interplay of these factors, the minimum mana capacity requirement became the basic hurdle and the highest barrier for girls about to enter the Academy.
This was especially a serious problem for nobles or the wealthy, the so-called “upper class”, for whom entering the Academy was the most significant asset to advance into the adult world after the age of 20.
From the moment their daughters are born, they worry about how to increase their daughters’ mana.
Feeding them well from a young age is just the beginning. They go to great lengths to ensure their daughters receive as much of the mana’s blessing as possible during their growth period.
‘Thanks to this, the continent’s strawberry milk is always in short supply.’
According to popular belief, drinking strawberry milk makes one blessed by mana.
The upper class, desperate to increase their daughters’ mana, would resort to all sorts of methods, even clinging to such superstitions.
As long as they pass the baseline, they can then use power or wealth, or ensure their daughters acquire just enough academic qualifications to barely pass the Academy entrance exam through customized education.
C-rank.
Unable to meet even that baseline?
The world is cruel and unforgiving.
-You can’t even meet the basic requirements to apply for the entrance exam. And you call yourself my daughter?
-Father, no! I swear, I’ll grow more by next year! I promise!
-Very well. We’ll see next year.
For those who fail to reach C-rank by age 17, a hellish nightmare begins.
It’s similar to a student who fails the college entrance exam and decides to take a gap year—only in this case, if they don’t succeed, it feels as though their life might be over, and the surrounding environment becomes increasingly dire.
The only saving grace is that there’s still a chance after 17.
Once at 18.
Once at 19.
Just as the saying goes, “Three times the patience can avoid even murder”, the entrance exam for Esdinas Academy offers girls three opportunities over three years.
If they manage to enter, do they get placed according to their age?
No, they don’t.
Whether they enter at 18 or 19, like a student retaking exams starting from the first year of university, they too start from the first year.
Even though they’ll graduate later than others at the age of 20, the important thing is that they’ve entered the mainstream society of the Academy, which leads the continent’s future.
And those who miss even those three chances are effectively “abandoned”.
-19 years old, and you only managed to reach A-rank on your last chance? You are a disgrace to our family. Leave at once.
-Father! Mother! Please…!
Being kicked out of the family is just the beginning.
-Isn’t she a woman who couldn’t even enter the Academy? Such a woman will have a hard time getting married. By the way, I know a baron in his 40s who’s recently divorced and looking for a new wife….
Not only are they looked down upon in the marriage market.
-Should we adopt a daughter? I recently noticed a granddaughter of a rancher in a rural village in our territory who seems to be around G-rank, not even C-rank.
-No, if we adopt, people will talk. It’s better to switch places. That child should become our daughter instead.
-That sounds better.
There were even cases where girls who met the basic entrance standards for the Academy were switched with others from different families.
Those who lost their place like this eventually ended up in Vinyudan.
The setting of the “Bread Academy”, the villains born from this society.
Upon reaching adulthood, they can no longer grow, and they start dreaming of revenge against the world and the Academy that pushed them into despair.
However, even for them, there’s a glimmer of salvation.
‘This is it.’
Swoosh.
A gentle flow of mana pours into Yunia’s body.
Instead of inducing the properties of the [Azure Flame], I flow the most pure and benign mana—one without any attributes—into Yunia’s body.
Originally, this was a special ability and power exclusive to the protagonist.
However, since this ability and power are a form of ‘skill,’ I managed to replicate and master it through research and practice with the seven Dukes of Hell.
‘I can feel it.’
The mana flowing into Yunia’s body courses through her entire being, allowing me to sense the toxins accumulated within her.
‘Contaminated mana.’
Just as people detoxify with special juices or eliminate bodily waste, mana also requires purification.
The human body absorbs various types of mana, and the accumulation of different types can affect how mana levels increase.
Ssssshh.
A sound of something diminishing emanates from within Yunia’s body.
It’s not an actual sound, but rather the response of the mana, as the contaminated mana in Yunia’s body is absorbed and removed through my mana.
Coincidentally, while trying to extract this contaminated mana, I must reach out to the affected areas—
“…”
Yunia is deeply asleep.
Not just asleep, but nestled with her head resting on my shoulder, soundly sleeping.
‘I should make sure to visit the infirmary at the Academy.’
Proper facilities are needed for mana detoxification.
Currently, I am extracting the contaminated mana in a gaseous form, but if it takes another form later, facilities capable of handling that form will be necessary.
Sssssshh.
The contaminated mana residing in Yunia’s body diminishes.
In game terms, this procedure increases the total amount of mana Yunia can use at once.
The ‘Heavenly Mana’, which had been lodged in clumps throughout Yunia’s body, reacts to my mana, being drawn out, and her own mana begins to circulate effectively in the newly emptied spaces.
‘Does the world know that Vinyudan’s inability to grow is due to the curse of the Goddess they worship?’
The root cause of the Bread Academy’s setting lies with the four heroes and the headmaster who established it.
But the reason for creating girls without the ‘blessing of mana’ involves delving into the underlying settings of this world.
That’s a story for another time, when there’s more opportunity to discuss it in detail.
‘Focus.’
Right now, I am purifying the contaminated mana, the ‘useless mana’, from within Yunia.
Not only does this increase her physical vitality, but it also improves the efficiency with which she can use mana at once.
‘Since she can use more mana at once, her mana capacity will naturally increase.’
Yunia’s maximum mana capacity will grow.
In short.
Hypnosis therapy, in a nutshell, makes the target ‘more capable’.
* * *
Yunia had a dream.
From afar, she sees a very familiar scenery.
A rural village.
A quiet, isolated village so remote that even the lord rarely sends knights, and where even the existence of monsters is unknown, making it almost free from attacks.
-Yunia. Even if you go to the city, don’t forget me. Understand?
In her dream, Yunia recalls a conversation with a girl she was somewhat close to in her hometown.
Of course she wouldn’t forget.
Though she wanted to say as much, the words barely came out.
– Even if you meet that ‘noble person’ Grandma talked about, don’t give your heart away recklessly!
The girl with fluttering blonde hair and red eyes insisted, gripping Yunia’s hand tightly.
– Grandma said, you can’t know what that noble person will look like!
Noble person.
Grandma had left such words about that noble person.
– The appearance of the noble person is not fixed…. It could be someone bald, someone whose gender you can’t even determine, someone with a huge upper body but thin lower body, or even someone who has both male and female mana pockets!
Yunia wondered if Grandmother really said all that, but she didn’t think the girl’s words were entirely wrong.
In her dream, she encountered numerous noble people.
Some were simply those with neatly parted hair, others had hair styled like a lion’s mane, and some had braids typical of the dark-skinned orcs from the southern continent.
There were even those with half-white shaved heads or entirely bald.
Among them, the most modest and refined one she saw in the dream was a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes.
– Listen carefully, Yunia.
The girl says.
-Whether the noble one will be a man, a woman, or something that is not quite human, no one knows. They might not even be human.
The girl’s image begins to grow clearer.
-Remember this. No matter who that benefactor is, you have a mission to help them and escape the threats of this world. That’s why Grandmother took you in.
Did Grandmother take her in with that intention?
Yunia isn’t sure.
-You’ll find out what kind of benefactor they are once you meet them. The noble one will…
In an instant, the girl’s words become inaudible.
Despite knowing that the girl looked very much like her and that she seemed to reflect the image of the girl by the water’s edge.
Swish, swish.
Yunia was lost in the sensation of a warm touch sweeping over her entire body.
The feeling is such that she can’t think of anything else.
All her physical fatigue melts away.
Every place touched by this hand seems to release the knots of tension.
As she feels the desire to continue surrendering to this comforting touch, Yunia suddenly becomes aware of the touch that brushes against her somewhere.
“Ah.”
“You’re awake?”
The touch.
A warm hand lightly pats her back.
“We’ve arrived.”
“…”
Outside, the morning sun shines brightly.
“It’s the Academy.”
“…”
Despite arriving at the long-awaited Academy, Yunia feels a strange sense of disappointment.
“A little more…”
She wanted to savor this sensation of fatigue being completely relieved just a little longer.
“Miss Yunia.”
The hand continues to pat her back.
“I’ll do it again later, but for now, let’s get up.”
“…”
Later.
At that word, Yunia slowly begins to rise.
“…Huh?”
She had only fallen asleep on the bus.
“…?”
Yunia feels a rush of vitality throughout her body and a sense of being able to accomplish anything.
In that moment.
“…”
“What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Yunia, for some reason, wonders how wonderful it would be if that noble person were someone like this person who extended a hand to her—
– Yunia. There’s a high chance that you’ll fall in love with that noble person.
“…”
Why does Grandmother’s prophecy come to mind now?
– That noble person is your destined partner.
“…”
The redness on her face is certainly due to the sunlight streaming through the bus window.
