The next day, in the Old School Building’s lounge.
Due to its nature, injuries are quite common at Esdinas Academy.
There are three reasons for this.
The first reason is that the academy is filled with young individuals around the age of 18 who are eager to establish their hierarchy.
Even in a regular high school, there is a ranking system between male and female students, but what if it were an academy?
Those skilled in swordsmanship want to flaunt their skills, and those talented in magic are inclined to boast about the variety of spells they can cast.
The second reason is the atmosphere within the academy, which somewhat encourages a hierarchy based on combat ability.
Externally, the academy pursues the development of strong talents, so academic credits are somewhat proportional to one’s “combat power”.
And the final reason.
The third reason might be the most significant in explaining the constant brawls at the academy.
“Injuries are common. If you use a potion or healing magic, you’ll heal up just fine, right?”
As Yunia mentioned, human injuries are surprisingly easy to recover from, even when compared to modern medicine.
“That’s right. With the power of magic and medicine, even a severed arm can be reattached.”
Although magic differs from scientific medicine in its mysterious ways, when it comes to healing and recovery, it is far superior to modern medicine.
Wounds? Heal them with healing magic. Amputations? Apply regeneration magic.
Of course, it does consume a significant amount of magical energy, but minor injuries or fractures can easily be treated at the academy’s medical facilities.
‘The protagonist, who fights while damaging his own body, only needs to visit the infirmary to appear fine on the surface.’
Even if one bleeds profusely, gets stabbed, or has fingers and toes broken, as long as they are alive, they can be revived at Esdinas Academy.
‘Sometimes, even the dead can be brought back to life.’
Magic.
Divine power.
In this academy with boundless possibilities, we were about to meet the person responsible for the students’ medical care.
Knock Knock.
A knock came from outside.
Someone was knocking on the door with a voice.
“It’s open.”
“Oh, really? I’ll come in~”
A sultry voice.
Though the voice felt soothing, I knew the true nature of this voice.
[Yunia.]
I held up two fingers to Yunia.
“…V?”
Yunia responded by making a V with her fingers as well, but I clarified her misunderstanding before she could open the door.
[Apocalypse.]
“…!”
The successor to Esta, Apocalypse, was about to enter through the door.
Screech.
The old door of the Old School Building creaked open, and the woman who entered was.
“Hello!”
“…Oh, hello?”
A woman in a white gown with green hair stood out due to her distinctive outfit.
“Um, well…”
Yunia stared intently at the woman’s exposed abdomen.
“Oh, this?”
The woman’s abdomen was indeed exposed.
“It’s a matter of taste.”
The woman pointed at her exposed midriff.
She wore a tank top on top and a very short skirt that resembled a mini skirt on the bottom.
And she had something like a test tube on her belt, an unusual fashion statement.
“First, let’s check. You are the two special admission students, Yunia and Red, correct?”
“I would prefer to be called Phoenix rather than Red.”
“Oh, really? Then, Phoenix! Nice to meet you. Do you know my name?”
“…I am aware that the woman in the green gown is the head of the academy’s infirmary.”
Heroine, No. 12.
“Kadisha Allister.”
“Correct! You know well!”
Her first name is Kadisha.
Her family name is Allister.
Kadisha, smiling broadly, posed a quiz. It’s a very simple question that any student entering Esdinas Academy should know.
“From the first of the four heroes who founded the academy, the Grand Mage Allister?”
“Correct!”
Kadisha smiles and asks a quiz.
It’s a simple question that all students entering the Esdinas Academy know.
“Is it from the first four heroes who created the Academy, the Great Wizard Aleister?”
“Correct!”
The Grand Mage Allister.
The entrance to Hell that Changyeom showed me earlier.
Among the four founders of the Academy sealed there, one is the Grand Mage, and his name is Allister.
“I’m a direct descendant of that Grand Mage. My family has been working as instructors at the academy for generations.”
The Grand Mage sealed his physical form deep underground at the Academy, but he left behind a legacy of his bloodline and magic for future generations.
Of course, he did not leave behind the truth of the academy.
Just like the Emperor of the Empire, the Saint, and the Hero, who left various arrangements before sealing themselves but thoroughly hid the entrance to the Underworld.
Kadisha, this woman, knows nothing about such matters.
“My field of study is magic engineering. I specialize in alchemy, particularly in reproducing the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’, which my ancestor, the founder Allister, worked on.”
“Oh, I see.”
Yunia looks flustered.
She turns to me with a look as if asking why she is hearing this.
‘It seems she’s a bit taken aback since Kadisha’s style is quite different from Esta’s.’
Esta tends to be reserved and speaks only when necessary.
She usually avoids unnecessary conversation as an instructor.
Kadisha, on the other hand, is the complete opposite.
She enjoys talking and makes her intentions clear while chattering away.
“So, I always welcome new students. I need graduate students to assist with my research.”
Just like now.
“Oh, graduate students?”
“Yes. Are you interested?”
“What’s that…?”
“Oh, you don’t know what a graduate student is! Let me explain… Ahem.”
Kadisha’s eyes sparkle as she looks at Yunia, but she soon stops speaking and clears her throat due to the presence of someone appearing behind her.
“Stop saying strange things, Kadisha.”
“Strange things? What’s wrong with recruiting students with a passion for learning?”
Esta appears and presses her hand on Kadisha’s shoulder.
It’s a gesture to tone it down, and Kadisha, somewhat reluctantly, licks her lips and stands before us.
“Alright. Since our ghost instructor has arrived, let’s get to the main point.”
Kadisha is still smiling brightly.
“The reason I’m here is simple. I need to analyze your ‘mana patterns’.”
“Mana patterns?”
“It’s a sort of student registration, I suppose…”
Kadisha, with a somewhat bitter smile, takes something out from her bosom.
“Students entering the academy need to have their mana analyzed. Based on their mana, personalized potions are prepared. I’m in charge of that.”
“Oh, by potions, do you mean recovery potions?”
“Yes, there are health recovery potions, mana recovery potions, and stamina recovery ones. There are other types too, but those are exclusive to graduate students.”
Even as she explains, Kadisha subtly reveals her desire for graduate students.
“Of course, it’s up to you whether you want to participate.”
“Uh?”
“I don’t particularly like—”
“Kadisha.”
Esta warns in a low voice, but Kadisha just shrugs and grins.
“Well, once your mana patterns are analyzed, you’ll always be conscious of it whenever you use magic within the Academy.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Mana registration.”
“…?”
Yunia tilted her head at my words.
“In short, within the Academy, the characteristics of your mana are recorded just like fingerprints.”
“Fingerprints….”
“If any murder incident occurs, the remaining mana pattern at the scene would be analyzed, and compared with the mana patterns of students.”
“…!!”
In a sense, it could be seen as an invasion of privacy.
“Isn’t that a bit… troubling? Mana is something that flows from a person just by breathing.”
“That’s true.”
As Yunia said, it’s a matter that can’t be easily ignored.
As a modern-day Korean, I see this as akin to a ‘social security number’, but for Yunia, who has lived without such things, it must be a bit concerning.
“Don’t worry. There’s nothing problematic about it.”
The issue might only be that in the same space, the mana of men and women could be observed simultaneously.
“It’s all for the students’ mana enhancement. Right?”
“Yes. Besides creating customized recovery potions, analyzing mana patterns allows the Academy to provide mana hubs suited to each student’s tendencies to increase their mana.”
Kadisha smiled while supporting her tank top with her hand.
“Thanks to analyzing my own mana pattern, I was able to grow like this. When I was young, I was quite different.”
Kadisha ran her hand over her abdomen.
“Why not trust me and give it a try? You might even grow more than you are now. Although I’m an instructor in magic engineering and alchemy, I’m also a technician in this field personally!”
Kadisha smiled, alternating her gaze between Esta and Yunia.
“So Yunia will go with Esta, and…”
Kadisha looked at me and grinned.
“Since Phoenix chose to take a step back with me, shall we have a separate chat for a bit?”
With a somewhat challenging or research-focused glint in her eyes.
