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[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 73
At my warning devoid of any humor, Roan actually let out a chuckle.
"Heh, are you saying you're going to kill me now?"
His eyes narrowed.
"Do you even have the strength to do that?"
"..."
He became even more obnoxious in the time I hadn't seen him.
But I had nothing to refute him with.
I didn't want to admit it, but Roan was indeed stronger than me at the moment.
Even if he tried something strange, there was no way for me to stop him with my current abilities.
However.
"Strength is something you can build up."
No matter what level he was at, what kind of power he possessed... it didn't matter.
I had the growth potential that wouldn't lose to anyone.
I was confident that I could catch up to him somehow.
Did he sense that determination?
"Haha, don't make that kind of face. I was just kidding."
Roan, who had a rather serious expression, suddenly relaxed his face.
"Kidding?"
"Yes. Threatening Kayla, emitting dangerous mana like this, it was all a joke."
Swoosh.
The blue mana that had been surging around him subsided.
"Well, I guess you thought I had bad intentions... but there's no reason for that, is there? I've never met Kayla before, and we haven't been on bad terms."
He wasn't wrong.
Rather, from my point of view, I was just bewildered by him suddenly showing such a different side.
Maybe it was all a joke, as he said.
Even if it was a bit bizarre...
'He was always like that.'
He had been like that from the first time we met.
Hadn't I already firmly labeled him as a psycho once?
Of course, this was just a possibility.
It was hard to simply dismiss this incident as a joke.
'The killing intent back then was real.'
The moment he launched the ice spear at Kayla, he was undoubtedly serious.
How could that be called a joke?
Something must have happened, that much was certain.
But since he was acting like this... I couldn't argue.
What was the point of me ranting? He was saying it was a joke.
"...Okay, I hope you're being serious."
"I assure you, I am. There's no malice, just... a feeling of joy at seeing you again after a long time?"
"You didn't seem particularly happy."
"Oh no! I'm sorry if you felt that way."
"..."
With his exaggerated gestures and tone, Roan left me speechless.
Feeling that there was no point in continuing this conversation, I changed the subject.
"So, what have you done to your body?"
To something related to Roan's power.
Honestly, I was curious about how he was able to grow so much in such a short period.
If possible, I wanted to know if I could use that method too.
Of course, I realized that wasn't possible from Roan's following answer.
"I received some help from my clan after a long time."
"Family?"
"Yes, even if it doesn't seem like it, my clan is quite renowned for magic. ...Well, I cut ties with them for a while."
I had also heard of Roan's family, the Vilgef clan, to some extent.
A clan of frost mages with a history of 100 years, wasn't it?
100 years wasn't a very long history for a clan, but they were famous for most of their members having outstanding magic talent.
In short, it meant they were a prestigious clan that was second to none when it came to magic.
'Family...'
I thought about ways to grow related to that.
One thing came to mind immediately.
'Secret Technique.'
In this world, prestigious families usually had at least one secret technique.
For example, knight families had their own unique aura techniques, and mage families had exceptional mana breathing techniques.
Of course, there were various kinds, such as mana operation, high-ranking magic passed down through generations, and so on, not just mana breathing techniques.
'...This is why being born a noble makes the game easier.'
It was a growth method I couldn't even dream of, having been reincarnated as a beggar.
Anyway, the 'help from family' that Roan was talking about must have been this.
"What kind of secret technique was it?"
"Hmm..."
Whoosh.
As soon as I asked, a chill suddenly started to spread, and an ice crystal formed on top of Roan's staff.
A complex yet beautiful crystal.
It was like looking at ice magnified.
"It was a secret technique to handle coldness like coldness."
"What does that..."
"I can't tell you any more. Or do you perhaps have any thoughts of joining our clan?"
"...No, thanks. I'll pass."
"That's a shame. Someone like you, Yuhan, would be a welcome addition to our clan."
I tried to dig up more information, but Roan blocked me with a difficult question.
Well, if it were this easy to find out, it wouldn't be called a secret technique in the first place.
While I was thinking about that, Roan held out his hand.
"Then I look forward to working with you in the future."
"Working with you on what?"
"Hmm, friendly competition?"
Somehow, I could see a competitive spirit in his eyes, a desire to win.
Just like when we first greeted each other in Aldeon.
It was a suggestion to compete with magic once again.
"Sure, just wait a little bit."
As I said that and accepted his handshake, Roan smirked and turned around.
Thump, thump.
Roan gradually walked away.
After confirming that his back had completely disappeared, I opened my hand.
It had been itching for a while now.
Thump, thump, thump!
'It seems possible...'
Shwaaaa-
The frost I generated gathered on my hand, forming a shape.
Soon, an ice crystal was revealed.
"...Huh."
It wasn't as intricate as Roan's, but it was still a beautiful crystal.
It was hard to believe it was my first time using it.
"...This is a truly monstrous talent."
Roan, who had become even stronger by inheriting his clan's secret technique.
It seemed like it wouldn't take long to catch up to him.
***
The dean's office where Asion Gale resided.
After my conversation with Roan, I headed straight there.
To bring back Thompson, who must be feeling awkward.
However.
"Oh, Mr. First Place."
"Yuhan, you're here?"
Contrary to my expectations, the dean and Thompson were there, sipping tea and chatting.
It seemed like the timing had luckily worked out.
"It seems you made up a story that wasn't true, Yuhan?"
"...I apologize. There were circumstances."
"Well, it's fine. It was something that had to be decided anyway."
"How did it go? Did the talk go well?"
The dean nodded, and Thompson answered instead.
"I'm going to receive body transformation magic training three times a week."
"Oh, that's great. Three times a week shouldn't interfere with other schedules."
"Hehe, the dean said this is the first class and it will be one-on-one training. It's a truly glorious opportunity."
One-on-one training for the first class.
That meant that other academy students hadn't learned body transformation magic.
It seemed like Thompson had caught the dean's eye...
"What's the reason, Dean?"
When I asked for the exact reason, the dean replied as follows.
"Until now, there hasn't been a suitable talent to pass this magic on to."
"Talent?"
The dean nodded and began to take off his clothes one by one.
Until his bare skin was revealed.
"What are you doing...?"
As I was bewildered by the sudden exposure,
The dean pointed at his body, urging me to look.
His body was covered in scars, ranging from those as small as fingernails to those that seemed life-threatening.
But what was even more surprising was...
"His body..."
"Wow..."
The muscles that covered the dean's entire body.
His body, hidden under his clothes, was so well-maintained that despite his middle age, he was incredibly muscular.
His frame was also large, as if Thompson and Barundel's bodies had been combined.
Only then did I understand the prerequisite for body transformation magic.
"You have to have a body like that to use this magic?"
"That's right. That's why I couldn't teach it even if I wanted to."
It made sense.
Most mages were, on average, frail.
If it was magic that could only be learned by training the body to that extent, it wouldn't be easy to teach, even if he wanted to.
"Moreover, this is magic that can only be handled by those who wield earth attribute magic."
At this point, I understood why the dean called Thompson a talent.
A mage with a strong body and earth attribute as their main attribute.
"Mr. Thompson is the perfect candidate."
He would probably be hard to find even if they openly recruited.
The dean nodded in agreement and asked with a curious look,
"I heard he's volunteering for the war mercenaries, is that true?"
"Ah, yes. It's not confirmed yet, but I think that's the plan."
"Most people would try to avoid war, but you've made a strange decision."
"I thought it wouldn't be bad to experience war at least once."
"I see."
The dean seemed to buy my vague excuse as he put his clothes back on and nodded.
"Anyway, Thompson's body transformation magic will take quite a while. He'll probably be able to use it little by little after the war is over."
"That's fine. It wasn't in the original plan anyway."
"After the war is over, I'm thinking of increasing the training schedule from three times a week to five. Is that okay with you, Thompson?"
"Oh, I'm just grateful that you're teaching me."
Thompson showed his clenched fist as if to express his eagerness.
Meanwhile, I remembered something I had missed.
"Ah, what about Kayla's admission?"
She lost the duel, but that didn't mean she couldn't enroll.
The dean himself had said that he would judge it separately from the duel's results.
As he said,
"I've decided to allow Kayla to enroll as well. She should have been informed already."
The dean announced Kayla's acceptance.
It was a natural outcome, in a way.
Even though she lost the duel, the magic Kayla displayed was clearly beyond the level of an academy student.
"You've made a good decision. She's also very talented. And passionate."
"I've heard. She's currently receiving special training from Professor Ziren, isn't she?"
"Ah, yes."
Did he receive a report through telepathy?
The news traveled faster than I expected.
"Then Kayla's skills will improve quickly."
"Has this happened before?"
"Three times in total, I think. The students who received Professor Ziren's special training improved their skills quickly."
It wasn't my imagination that Kayla seemed to be growing.
Of course, I couldn't expect too much from just a few hours.
As I was thinking about that, I brought up the last topic.
"What happened to Roan?"
The dean probably hadn't spoken to Roan yet, but I still had to ask.
A mage superior to me might have seen something.
As expected, the dean knew quite a lot.
"Looking at his mana... it seems he's inherited the Vilgef clan's secret technique. It was definitely that kind of energy. ...It's unfortunate that he ended up receiving that power."
The dean shook his head with a regretful expression.
"Why do you say that?"
When I asked for the reason,
"The Vilgef clan's secret technique has a side effect. A side effect of gradually losing emotions."
He revealed a fact I didn't know.
'...Losing emotions?'
It was the moment I realized what was strange about Roan.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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