Morning had come—or rather, dawn had broken.
The mental exhaustion that had built up during the night had finally dissipated, allowing me to wake up with a clear mind, just in time for the scheduled appointment.
“…Are you awake?”
Yunia responded to the sounds of me stirring.
Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face bore the unmistakable signs of someone who had stayed up all night without proper sleep, looking utterly exhausted as she greeted the morning.
“Did you not sleep well?”
“…”
Yunia glared at me for a moment.
Her gaze was filled with various emotions, as if she felt wronged in some way.
It was almost like…
“It seems like you’re saying you couldn’t sleep because of me, but I’m not someone with such terrible sleeping habits.”
“…Yes. You slept so soundly, like the dead. Really, someone could have carried you off, kidnapped you, or even sneaked up on you during the night, and you wouldn’t have noticed.”
Yunia glared at me with half-closed eyes.
“How can you, as a man, sleep so defenselessly?”
“Huh?”
“What if someone actually drained your mana? Seriously.”
“Oh, you meant it that way?”
She wasn’t talking about chastity.
Although draining someone’s mana could be related to such things, it didn’t necessarily have to involve any indecent or sinister methods.
There were plenty of ways to extract someone’s mana.
“Do you know how much I worried that someone might sneak in through the window, or that one of those Vinyudan women would secretly infiltrate here just to attack you?”
Yunia grumbled, clearly upset.
Although she was lying in bed, she wasn’t wearing pajamas but rather travel clothes, prepared for any possible combat situation.
“Did you really stay up all night?”
“…”
“I’m sorry about that. But what if you end up messing up the Academy entrance exam because of it?”
“…Even if I stayed up all night, I should be able to pass the entrance exam just fine.”
Yunia puffed out her chest, showing her confidence.
“For an entrance exam? I may look like this, but I should be at the level of a first-year, no, even a second-year at the Academy.”
There was a reason for Yunia’s confidence.
Although she hadn’t explicitly stated it, in the original story, it was revealed that she was deliberately hiding her ‘true abilities’.
‘It’s like one of those RPG games.’
Sometimes, it might seem like a character’s level shoots up exponentially from 1 to 90, but in reality, some characters might have originally been around level 50 but are hiding their abilities at level 1.
Yunia was like that.
As she said, if she succeeded in entering the Academy, even as a new student, her combat power would be among the upper ranks of the entire second-year class, if not higher.
The same applied to me, of course.
At the Academy, everyone hid their abilities to some extent, and revealing them was reserved for those you could trust or those who would remain allies even after graduation.
Conversely, showing someone your hidden strength—a power you kept secret—was also a sign of trust.
“Yunia, should I help you out a bit?”
“Help me? With what?”
“To help Miss Yunia recover as if you’d just had a full night’s sleep.”
I raised my right hand and extended my index finger upward, gathering mana at the tip.
“Have you ever heard of hypnotic therapy?”
“It’s my first time hearing about it.”
Whoosh.
A red flame ignited on my fingertip like a candle.
Yunia clearly remained wary of me but showed a hint of curiosity about the flame of mana burning on my finger.
“Since Miss Yunia watched over me while I slept, I can’t just leave it at that. I can’t let you fail because of me.”
“That…”
“You must have a reason to enter the Academy this year, right? So do I.”
The original story had begun. Even though some parts of the story had changed, Yunia and the other heroines entering the Academy was still the starting point of the original.
“So if I pass the exam and get in, but Miss Yunia fails because of me, it’s going to be quite uncomfortable for me at the Academy.”
“That’s not it.”
Yunia firmly shook her head.
“If I fail, it’s partly because I couldn’t manage my condition, but ultimately, it’s because of the Vinyudan’s attack. I just got caught up in it.”
“No.”
“What?”
“You said ‘ultimately.’ But if you really look at it, the cause is still me.”
Although I couldn’t fully explain the situation yet, the reason Yunia might not make it to the Academy on time—despite the original story—was me.
The descent of the Phoenix.
The train stopped because of the blue magic flames that fell from space, so I am primarily responsible.
“So let me take responsibility. Consider it a reward for staying up all night to protect me.”
“…Are you sure it’s okay?”
“You tried to protect me, and now you’re doubting me?”
“It’s not doubt.”
Yunia tapped her left wrist.
“Is it really okay time-wise? Didn’t you say we need to catch the first bus at dawn?”
“That’s exactly why I’m saying this.”
I extinguished the flame and stood up, grabbing my coat.
“Let’s head out in 30 minutes and catch the first bus. And while we’re on the bus, I’ll cast a spell to help you sleep comfortably.”
“Hypnotic therapy is magic?”
“Exactly. Although many people misuse hypnosis for dubious purposes, when used correctly, it greatly aids human growth, development, and even biological rhythm adjustments.”
“…Oh, I see.”
She responded as if she were listening to a door-to-door sales pitch, but once she experiences the effect, she’ll be hooked.
‘You’ll feel like you’re making better use of your time.’
At first, it might seem like just another spell.
But once we arrive at the Academy, her perspective will change completely.
‘You’ll start thinking of it whenever you need it.’
Hypnotic therapy.
To put it in extreme terms, it’s a spell that can make an hour of sleep feel like you’ve slept for at least seven.
‘You’ll keep coming back to me.’
She’ll want to entrust her body to me for an hour, so she can free up more time for studying, working, or late-night magic training.
Yunia is diligent and kind but also someone who craves high grades.
“Let’s go. It looks like others are starting to head out too.”
* * *
A short while later, at dawn.
Just as when we arrived in the village, Yunia and I dressed and stepped out.
It wasn’t completely dark, but the sun’s rays hadn’t fully illuminated the sky yet—an ambiguous time of dawn.
“Ugh, is the train really coming at this hour?”
“They said there was some kind of accident…”
“Will it come? Have you ever seen a magical train not arrive on time?”
Several people gathered in front of the still-closed main gate of the train station, chatting amongst themselves.
They warmed their cold hands with hot breaths, waiting anxiously and excitedly for the station to open.
“Excuse me.”
One of them approached Yunia and me.
“What are you doing right now?”
A girl with brown hair. She wore what looked like a fairly expensive coat, but she didn’t seem like a noble.
“Are you heading to take the Academy entrance exam?”
“Yes, we are.”
I supported Yunia, who was dozing off against me, I pointed to the door in front of me that had just started to open.
“That’s why we’re about to catch the bus, aren’t we?”
“If you take the magic bus, you’ll be late. You might not make it in time.”
How meddlesome.
At the same time, I sensed a slight ulterior motive.
“Let’s take the train together. We can chat with each other as incoming students along the way.”
To put it kindly, it was an offer of goodwill.
But more critically, it was meddling.
From a calculating perspective, it was a suggestion to form a team with people in similar situations before even entering the Academy.
‘I can see it clearly.’
Looking at the group with the girl, I noticed it consisted mostly of girls around her age.
‘I don’t intend to make enemies or anything.’
What should I do?
Since she’s not a key character that I know, it wouldn’t matter what I say to an extra, but—
“…What are you doing?”
Yunia pulled on my arm, immediately linking hers with mine.
“Let’s hurry and catch the bus. Quickly.”
“Hey.”
“We’re taking the bus, so you take the train. We have our reasons for needing to take the bus.”
Yunia, with bloodshot and tired eyes, shot a look at the girl and pulled me toward the bus that was just beginning to open its doors.
“Hah…! This must be your first time taking the Academy entrance exam, right?! You don’t understand! If you’re even a minute late for the exam, you…!”
“I’m sorry.”
I guided Yunia onto the bus first and shook my head at the girl who had approached me.
“You should find another porter elsewhere.”
“W-What…!”
Before the girl could make any more noise, I quickly boarded the bus.
“…”
I made eye contact with the bus driver.
He wore a sharp cap emblazoned with the Silverstar emblem and glanced at me, Yunia, and the girl standing behind us.
Hissss.
The door closed.
“Young man, and miss. Are you heading to the Academy entrance exam?”
“Yes.”
“The train would be faster, you know?”
“Well… there are some circumstances.”
I pulled a few coins from my pocket and dropped them into the fare box.
“For two.”
“…You know that since we have to wind around the mountain path, we’ll arrive much later than the train, right?”
“I know.”
“Are you sure that’s okay? Silverstar Transport has a strict no-speeding policy.”
“Just take it slow and safe. Don’t worry about us.”
I nodded slightly to the bus driver and helped Yunia move to the back.
“…Hah. Scrimping on money even before the entrance exam… Tsk Tsk. What is the world coming to?”
The bus driver muttered to himself, but I didn’t pay him any mind.
“You’ll regret this! If you’d only wanted, I could have given you a ticket… ugh!!”
The girl outside pointed her finger at me and turned red with anger, but her words didn’t bother me at all.
“…Are you okay?”
“Of course.”
I sat down next to Yunia by the window and leaned in to whisper in her ear.
“Do you see the staff moving inside the station?”
“…”
Yunia squinted, looking in the direction I indicated.
“They’re in there, scrambling and communicating with each other.”
“…So the train really isn’t coming?”
“Exactly.”
The train wouldn’t be arriving.
‘The cost of one magic train is astronomical.’
The Silverstar Group is driven entirely by the logic of profit.
Even if there were a change in their policies, there’s still a limit to how much they would bend.
“Miss Yunia, get some rest while we’re on the way. This bus’s last stop is the Academy, right?”
“…May I?”
“Of course. It’s no trouble at all.”
As Yunia reclined slightly, I began to weave a spell.
Red, Sun.
“From now on, Miss Yunia, your body will feel as relaxed as if you’re sitting in a massage chair.”
“…”
Yunia closed her eyes gently, and I cast another spell.
‘Sleep.’
A sleep spell.
Although it’s a type of forced sleep magic, as long as the person doesn’t mentally resist—
“…”
This is a magic that makes it easy to fall asleep.
‘Really.’
Yunia had let her guard down enough to not resist a sleep spell from me.
“What if someone eats you up.”
She likely wouldn’t hear it, sleeping so deeply.
‘Time to get started.’
This wasn’t just simple hypnosis; it was “hypnotherapy”.
Rustle.
I took Yunia’s hand.
‘Let’s rid your body of all accumulated toxins.’
Fatigue recovery.
Mana increase.
Detoxification.
‘When you wake up, you’ll feel like a new person.’
Slowly, I began channeling my mana into Yunia’s body.
