[At that moment, in a clearing a short distance from the Old School Building. The Old School Building’s Training Area.]
The clearing was about 1 kilometer away from the Old School dormitory.
In this spacious area surrounded by dense forest, several staff members were busy removing weeds that had grown directly from the ground with sickles.
“Uh, over there. Instructor Esta?”
“What is it?”
Yunia pointed alternately between the item she was holding and the tools the staff members were using, and asked Esta.
“Is it really okay for me to hold this [Magic Rifle] here?”
“Of course. You’re a student, and they are staff members.”
“And what about you, Instructor?”
“Well, if you want to split hairs, I could be considered a ‘faculty member.’ Instructors are those who teach, while staff members handle the administrative tasks to keep the academy running smoothly.”
Esta pointed to the neatly arranged dirt floor beneath her feet.
“The Old School Training Area has been neglected for a very long time, and even here, it’s not properly maintained.”
“I’m used to it….”
“Used to it?”
“I’ve often trained in magic in places like forests or mountains, where monsters appear and such.”
Esta clearly showed her displeasure with the training area, which seemed to have been hastily set up in an ancient and long-neglected grove. However, Yunia didn’t seem to mind the environment too much.
“So, what are you worried about?”
“I just wonder if it’s okay for me to train here on the side. Those people are working over there.”
Yunia still pointed with her eyes towards the staff members, who were sweating profusely under the scorching sun, cutting weeds with sickles.
“Maybe it’s a bit awkward….”
“Be aware that helping them might actually make them uncomfortable.”
“Really?”
“Can you see what they’re wearing?”
“Ah, yes. They’re in sky-blue work uniforms.”
“Exactly. They’re in work uniforms. And what you’ll be wearing from now on is…’a uniform’, or, in other words, a school uniform.”
“A uniform….”
Yunia swallowed hard at the mention of ‘uniform’.
“Everyone has their designated attire. Instructors are relatively free in this regard, but as a student, you need to fulfill your role properly. Just like right now.”
Esta reached out toward the magic handgun Yunia was holding.
“I’ll demonstrate it for you, so why don’t you hand it over for now?”
“Oh, okay.”
Esta received the somewhat heavy magic rifle from Yunia, which was larger than a hand axe, and placed her finger on the trigger.
“A long time ago, with the development of magical engineering, people started researching how to use magical engineering in combat. This magic rifle is both the beginning and a byproduct of that research.”
“The beginning…?”
“It started with the question, ‘How can we shoot magic missiles more easily?'”
As Esta channeled her magic, the barrel of the magic rifle began to shimmer with magical energy.
“This refined into what’s called [Magic Bullet], and the barrel was adjusted and calibrated to shoot magic missiles with greater ‘deadly force.’ The basic ability of this magic rifle is….”
Click.
“It standardizes the caster’s magic into the form of a bullet and then fires it as a magic bullet.”
Bang!
A loud explosion echoed from the magic handgun, and Esta fired a magic bullet, a mix of white and a hint of green, towards the trees.
“Wow…!”
“What did you think of the ‘color’ of the magic bullet just now?”
“The color? Well…”
Yunia pointed to Esta’s hair and eyes.
“Instructor, it seemed like it was a mix of your hair color and eye color…? Um, not completely mixed, but rather like different colored waters staying together…?”
“Everyone perceives things differently, but the color of the magic bullet when it’s fired indicates the ‘aptitude’ for mana.”
Esta handed the magic handgun back to Yunia and held up seven fingers.
“Humans can handle seven types of mana: fire, water, wind, earth, light, darkness, and illusion. Academy students determine which type of mana they have more aptitude for, and then receive a tailored curriculum based on that.”
“…If people have different aptitudes, does that mean they can’t take classes together?”
“Are you worried that Phoenix might have different mana aptitudes?”
“N-Not really.”
Yunia awkwardly clutched the magic handgun with both hands.
“If different mana aptitudes mean different ways to handle dangerous situations, that’s good, but if it means completely separate classes….”
“You won’t be in entirely separate classes.”
“Really?”
“If there are about 20 hours of lectures per week, only about 4 to 6 hours of that will be specialized curriculum based on mana aptitude.”
Esta smiled and patted Yunia on the back.
“For the special class, at least for the first semester, you’ll have common subject classes, so you’ll be able to attend classes together until then. How about it, feeling a bit reassured now?”
“…When you put it like that, I feel like I’m coming across as someone who’s anxious without Phoenix-nim by my side.”
“Isn’t that true?”
“…You know.”
Yunia precisely aimed the magic rifle in the direction Esta had fired.
“What if I’m left alone and get harassed by strange women? For example… like the leader of Vinyudan.”
“Yes. I understand your concerns.”
Esta nodded briefly.
“If the roles were reversed and you were thrown into a military setting with a single woman, it would be a similar situation.”
“Ugh…”
“Even if the person involved doesn’t intend to, their actions can easily be misinterpreted by others. Whether it’s intentional or just an attempt to get closer based on that is hard to say.”
“I think it’s probably both.”
Yunia began channeling her magic and refining the magic bullet.
“At first, getting close or approaching someone might be the primary goal, but if it turns into a romantic relationship, that might be a good thing in itself, right?”
“Did you feel that way?”
“Yes. …I think so.”
Yunia closed her eyes for a moment and gently pulled the trigger.
“Wanting a harem, I think that’s probably serious.”
“….” “If he sees someone as a beauty, he might try to hit on her.”
“Do you plan to stop that, or not let it happen?”
“What about you, Instructor?”
“Well, students enjoying their youth isn’t something I can really comment on. What about you, Miss Yunia?”
“For me…”
She slightly tightened her grip on the trigger.
“I’m still not sure.”
With that, she pulled the trigger all the way.
Bang!
The magic handgun shone brightly, and a golden flash burst out towards the tree.
“Huh?”
Boom─!!
“…Huh?”
With a huge explosion, the tree exploded from the middle and shattered into pieces.
“…That’s not a real tree, right? An illusion created by magic?”
“It’s a real tree.”
“…”
“It seems that while you understand your own mana attributes….”
Esta glanced at Yunia’s mana pockets and clicked her tongue.
“It looks like you’ll need to practice adjusting your mana output a bit.”
“…Yes.”
Yunia lowered the handgun.
“By the way.”
“What is it now?”
“What do you think Phoenix’s mana attributes are like?”
* * *
“…What is this?”
As I aimed the magic handgun skyward and released my mana, Kadisha watched me with a stern expression.
“This is something that hasn’t been reported in the academic world at all.”
“Really?”
I continued pulling the trigger of the magic rifle, aiming it at the ceiling.
Phew, Phew, Whoosh.
Mana shot toward the ceiling like a water gun, and the concentrated magic bullets scattered, bursting like fireworks.
“Rainbow colors, huh?”
Seven brilliant colors spread out.
‘Strictly speaking, it’s not exactly red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.’
The seven colors of mana exploded and faded repeatedly, like fireworks.
“…Ah, I see.”
Kadisha continued to watch the tiny fireworks and smiled at me.
“You can even control your mana?”
“I only know how to refine it at this level.”
I gripped the magic rifle with both hands and let mana flow into the rifle’s barrel.
“I aim to make all the attributes manifest ‘in balance’.”
“…I see.”
The seven magic stones covered by the gun’s barrel each emitted similar magical energies, resonating with each other.
Though faint, the colors were balanced without any one being exceptional or lacking, which is rare to see elsewhere.
“Or maybe you have an aptitude for all types of mana…”
“Well, as you can see, my mana amount is still quite lacking.”
I pointed to the faintly shimmering barrel cover.
“For now, I plan to recover my mana and study.”
“How much can you accumulate?”
“Well, I’m not sure. But it might be seven times harder than for others?”
“…So it’s uncertain?”
Kadisha took the magic rifle with a serious expression.
“Then, if you can control your mana well enough to shoot with separate attributes, isn’t it possible to fire seven shots with the magic rifle at full power?”
“It’s not impossible, but if you did that, you’d likely exhaust yourself to the point of death. More importantly….”
I took a step back from Kadisha, who was getting closer.
“Could you please give me some space?”
“Oh, uh? …Oh, right.”
When I awkwardly smiled, Kadisha tilted her head and examined me closely.
“…Ah, um, just a moment.”
She glanced down at me, then grabbed a blanket from the side bed and placed it over me.
“Men really… have a lot of trouble. When you use your mana to the limit, things like that happen.”
“It’s a natural physiological phenomenon, so there’s nothing you can do about it.”
A characteristic of males in this world.
The more mana you use and utilize, the faster your blood circulates, leading to increased activation in areas where blood tends to pool.
“Uh, um. That’s right….”
Kadisha, trying to act nonchalant, looked at me with subtle eyes.
“How old did you say you were?”
“Officially, I’m 17.”
“Officially?”
“Unofficially, I might be any age necessary when the situation calls for it.”
“…”
I threw out the bait. But it’s not the time to elaborate just yet.
“Oh, well, I see. Alright, then….”
Kadisha is a researcher, not someone with extensive practical experience in such matters.
She’s well-versed in theory but has never actually practiced it—more like she’s in a relationship with magic theory.
“Well, take a rest for now. Ahaha, it’s so hot.”
While she may seem unfazed when approaching things from a scientific or biological standpoint, she becomes an ordinary woman when her focus is broken.
“…Get some sleep. I’ll wake you up when Esta arrives.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
I pulled the blanket up, clasped my hands as if in prayer, and closed my eyes.
An empty infirmary.
A male student lying on a bed.
A female teacher blushing with embarrassment.
‘Calm down.’
Such a situation should never occur.
Therefore.
Before making a mistake, I need to have some mental sage time for myself.
‘Help me, Sister Kyun-Kyun.’
[What on earth are you talking about?]
Consciousness dimmed.
[What are you planning to do this time? Playing in the infirmary?]
‘I’m just trying to avoid making a fool of myself in front of a naive female teacher.’
[Ah, I see. So this is what you’re looking for?]
My consciousness began to slowly subside.
* * *
In the darkness.
A new space.
“Ah, for this unfortunate young lamb who cannot recklessly express the overflowing desires.”
Above me.
“To help you release that desire, we will now have a time of confession.”
Changyeom, dressed in a nun outfit, straddled me.
“Tell me, what were you thinking?”
“…”
“Why are you silent?”
“Nothing.”
The nature of human desires can be quite deceptive.
“I was thinking about you, Master.”
Instantly, and to my dismay…
