Chapter 75: Opportunity (2)
“There are many ways to increase mana, but how much do you know about it?”
While I was changing clothes, a voice came from beyond the partition.
Since I had once heard the exact same explanation from Sister Roberta in the past, I was able to answer without hesitation.
“Contacting a massive aggregate of mana, ingesting elixirs, receiving refined mana from someone, or cultivating strength in a place brimming with mana… There are many methods, but as I understand it, the overarching principle of ‘accepting external power and internalizing it’ never changes.”
“Perfect.”
Professor Windy May clapped her hands together.
“If it had been a slightly harder question, I would have stamped you with another praise seal. That was a textbook-perfect answer.”
“Thank you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“……”
“I was joking, it was a compliment.”
Once again came a giggle.
I moved my paused hands again and set my discarded clothes down in the corner.
Then I picked up the dark green ointment that Professor Windy May had given me and began spreading it generously over my body.
“Uuup!”
The moment I applied it, an indescribably rotten stench stung my nose and surged through the air.
Enduring it somehow, I applied all of it and then put on my underclothes.
At first, Professor Windy May had told me to strip completely…
But since I had firmly insisted that I could not show my naked body in front of a woman who was neither my wife nor lover, citing doctrines of the Holy Sun Church that didn’t even exist, she had no choice but to nod in reluctant acceptance.
In truth, it wasn’t because I was embarrassed to show her my bare body, nor because such doctrines actually existed.
‘…Good.’
After checking once more the bandage covering the area branded with the mark, I stepped out from behind the partition.
When she saw my body, Professor Windy May blinked several times and then belatedly covered her mouth with both hands.
“Oh my, oh my, kyaak.”
Her voice was stiff, like she was reading straight from a textbook.
When I showed no reaction, she quietly lowered her hands again and offered an excuse.
“I thought you seemed really tense. Just trying to loosen you up a bit.”
Sniffling, she gestured for me to lie down on the sofa.
“Then come over here and lie down on your stomach, uuweegh. Smells awful…”
“……”
“…Sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood again.”
She guided me with a rare, awkward look on her face.
Without a word, I lay down on the sofa as she instructed.
“There’s another way to increase mana besides the methods Lian just mentioned. Do you know of it?”
“If you mean divine power, yes. But for mana, I don’t.”
“Ah, I told you not to say you don’t know.”
With a smack, she lightly hit my shoulder, but then she clutched her own hand as if it hurt more and exaggerated her pain.
I had the feeling that if I showed no reaction again, she would end up truly, extremely embarrassed.
“Ouch.”
“…! A grown man whining like that, I barely tapped you. My hand hurts more from hitting you.”
Dusting off her hand, she spoke in an oddly buoyant voice.
Then after a moment, she placed her hand on my back as I lay face down and began whispering softly.
“As I said earlier, if we stick to the orthodox methods to cultivate Lian’s energy meridians, it would take many long years.”
“……”
I kept my mouth shut and quietly listened.
“As for divine power, I can say with certainty that you have tremendous talent. But in magic… after examining you several times, you’re only slightly above ordinary.”
When had she done such examinations?
Well, for someone of Professor Windy May’s level, there must have been plenty of chances.
And I had no intention of objecting to or questioning her assessment.
If she said I was only slightly above average, then my talent as a magician really was just that: only slightly above average.
‘At least she didn’t say I was far below average.’
As I thought this, I felt her fingers sliding smoothly across my back.
I couldn’t tell exactly what it was, but I knew it was a magic circle and spell formula.
“So I’m thinking of using a shortcut. In truth, this method is half-abandoned nowadays, but for Lian right now, there’s no method more certain than this one.”
“…Would it be all right if I asked why?”
“Because it’s dangerous.”
Professor Windy May answered casually.
“If it goes wrong, the recipient might die or be left permanently disabled. Of course, the risk varies drastically depending on the practitioner’s skill.”
“Then it must be safe.”
I spoke with genuine relief.
“Because none other than you, one of the Archmages, will be doing it personally.”
“Of course. Hmm, the chance of failure is probably one in ten? Or maybe two in ten…?”
“……”
“Just kidding.”
This time, her voice carried not a trace of laughter.
“If there had been even the slightest risk, I would never have done it. After all, Lian was my very first… hmm?”
No, was it right to call him the first?
Mumbling as if uncertain, she nodded her head.
“Anyway, he’s one of my first disciples. I have to treat him preciously. Like an onion in a flowerpot.”
Her fingers now brushed past my back, reaching my shoulders and the nape of my neck.
That strangely ticklish touch forced me to struggle not to flinch.
“To continue the explanation… compared to the risk, the more trained the energy meridians of the recipient are, the more the effect is drastically diluted. In other words, it works best on someone just starting out.”
“May I ask what method it is?”
“Hmm, rather than answering, you’ll understand it better by feeling it…”
Muttering that, Professor Windy May suddenly asked as if something had occurred to her.
“By the way, do you know this saying? That bones, when broken and then healed, become stronger than before.”
“I’ve heard of it. In fact, aspirant Holy Knights of the Hilts or Crooks undergo similar training.”
“Then you’ll understand quickly.”
Her hand stopped at some point, and she floated lightly into the air.
“Think of it as breaking bones to make them stronger.”
“…Pardon?”
“Eiit.”
With a strangely weak shout, Professor Windy May suddenly climbed onto my back.
Startled by her sudden action, I reflexively tried to move, but I couldn’t.
At the crushing pressure over my entire body and the tremendous weight pressing down on my back, I couldn’t help but let out my breath in a gasp.
“Keuhak?!”
“It’ll feel heavy, but you can endure it, right?”
“A person… using gravity magic… while sitting… on me… and saying that…!”
Chewing out words one by one as if spitting them out, I struggled for air under her casual murmur.
It was as if an elephant had sat on my back—I could hardly breathe.
“If you struggle, we’ll have to start over from the beginning. So it’s better to make it certain in one go.”
“What do you… mean?!”
As I spoke, dizziness suddenly struck me, and I was forced to close my mouth.
The mana throughout my body…
No, not only mana.
All the energies inside me gushed out with terrifying momentum, as if a faucet had been opened.
“Apply the secret ointment, inscribe the formula, and forcibly empty all mana inside the body.”
Even in my state, Professor Windy May explained calmly.
I couldn’t respond at all.
All I could think was that I wished she would at least stop swinging her legs back and forth while talking.
Every time my body shook, it felt as if my bones were separating.
“It’s not mere mana exhaustion, but literally a deliberate emptiness—pouring out everything. And in the process, your energy meridians, blood vessels, origin, and the body that extends from that origin… you feel all of it with your whole being.”
With those words, her hand touched my back, exactly where my heart was.
Immediately, something flowed from her hand, filling the hollow depths of my body.
As much as drained, it was replenished.
Through that process, I, playing the role of the shell, felt like I was truly about to die.
“The difference between using power with clear understanding and just relying on instinct is like heaven and earth. After today, your skills will increase severalfold… Well, that’s a lie, but at least you’ll be incomparable to who you were before this.”
“Ku, kuuhk…”
“Just a little longer. Only good children endure well. Once it’s over, I’ll even give you candy.”
Even as she spoke, I vividly felt her energy stirring through every corner of my body, tearing it open as if searching.
It felt like she was cleaning out hidden paths and laying new foundations inside me.
As if I were being hacked apart with hammers and saws.
“There’s no need to worry. Normally, you’d have to lie in bed for days, but this method is highly volatile. Once it’s done, I’ll wipe off the ointment and you’ll drink the potion I’ve prepared, and you’ll recover quickly.”
“…!!!”
I could no longer even make a sound.
Through my fading vision.
I fainted.
…Or rather, I almost did.
Grab.
Just before I blacked out, one remaining hand gently rested on my head.
“If you faint, it’s meaningless. So you must not faint.”
I swore I had never in any of my lives heard words that stripped away hope as much as those.
Even when I wanted to let go, I was forcibly awakened.
Unable to scream, choking back sobs, a fleeting thought drifted across my mind.
‘From now on…’
From now on, I should make sure to respond well to Professor Windy May’s jokes.
“…Hoo.”
Only after everything ended did Windy May finally wipe away the sweat dripping down her chin.
“……”
Lian was already unconscious, lying face down without the slightest movement.
But she didn’t think to blame him.
Rather, she admired his mental strength, which had held out until the very end.
‘An ordinary person wouldn’t have lasted even a short while before collapsing.’
At first, she had only approached him after seeing the White Flame blossoming from his mana. But the deeper she dug, the clearer it became that his value was far greater than just that.
It was a moment when she once again felt proud of her judgment in claiming him before others could.
“Mm, mm, praise me. Praise me for this.”
Muttering softly so as not to wake him, Windy May reached out toward the unconscious Lian.
She was about to cast a spell to restore vitality to his exhausted body.
“You’ve used quite a dangerous method.”
At the voice from behind, Windy May answered in a calm tone.
“Don’t just appear suddenly. Make some noise when you walk.”
“And yet you pretend, though you already knew.”
Yeriel Helmont, the Headmaster of the Academy and also her mentor, muttered so.
Seeing the worry and concern in his eyes, Windy May quickly spoke first, as if preempting him.
“It wasn’t dangerous at all. Surely you don’t think this disciple of yours would fail at something like this?”
“I wasn’t speaking of Lian, but of your own body, disciple.”
“……”
At her silence, Yeriel spoke again, his voice still full of concern.
“I understand your desire to raise your disciple even by giving away your own power and mana. Since they’re your very first disciples, it’s natural you’d feel attached. But there are limits to everything.”
“…Other people secretly take care of their disciples too.”
“I’m saying even that has its bounds. If word spread that you used such a method, people would immediately cry favoritism, and in the Magic Tower of course…”
Stopping mid-sentence, he let out a deep sigh.
Normally, Windy May never paid attention to his worries, but this time, she only pretended ignorance, deliberately looking away.
“Anyway, that’s not what matters. What if something went wrong with your body while under the curse…”
“Got it.”
Windy May waved her hand as if annoyed.
“Enough. I understand. I won’t do it again.”
“If you truly mean it, then I’ll leave it at that.”
“Sometimes you’re like my mother.”
“Heavens.”
Yeriel shook his head as if horrified.
“To have a daughter like you, just the thought is dreadful. If that were the case, I’d have died young long ago.”
“Alright, alright, sorry. I went too far.”
Finally raising the white flag, Windy May sat herself in a chair instead of floating in the air as usual.
That meant she was exhausted to the point she couldn’t even muster that much strength.
“So why exactly did you come here?”
“Several troublesome issues have arisen.”
“Matters I have to step in for?”
“Regrettably.”
Yeriel nodded.
Windy May sighed.
“Go on.”
“First is the matter of Aleph and Jemira.”
Aleph and Jemira.
They were magicians outstanding enough that Windy May remembered their names.
They were also members of the expedition dispatched to investigate the abnormal climate that had occurred on the day of the entrance ceremony.
“Now that you mention it, it’s about time I received their report. What did they say?”
“It concerns dragons. And it seems to be an even greater problem than we expected.”
“Why?”
“The dragons are gathering.”
“Is there a wedding or something? Dragons gathering isn’t common, but it’s not unheard of either.”
“They said they felt a massive clash of mana, so great it was noticeable even from a distance.”
At those words, Windy May’s ears twitched sharply in surprise.
“…That really is serious. That means the dragons are clashing in opinion.”
“And for the mana clash to be felt, it must be quite a violent conflict.”
“It’s not something the two of them can handle alone.”
“But here’s where it gets messier.”
Yeriel suppressed a sigh that threatened to burst out.
“They say they unexpectedly encountered Archbishop Onnime, who was to succeed Rahma.”
“The Bloodstained Inquisitor? Wasn’t he expelled from the Inquisitors? Perhaps they only crossed paths on his way to the Academy.”
“They reported that the knights he once belonged to were moving with him.”
At that, Windy May’s expression hardened slightly.
“So even the Holy Sun Church knows something and is on the move. No wonder they said he’d arrive later than scheduled.”
“And apparently Aleph and Jemira are currently moving together with them. We won’t know the full details until another report arrives, but they asked that support be prepared just in case.”
“Understood.”
Windy May nodded.
This was a matter entangled with both dragons and the Holy Sun Church.
That meant no one was more suited than herself.
“Should I leave right away?”
“Not yet. There was a request that you attend the festival in a few days’ time.”
“Just tell them I’ll be feeling ill that day.”
“If that were possible, I wouldn’t be troubling you with this in the first place. The opponent is one for whom such excuses hold no weight.”
That meant the Imperial Family.
Windy May immediately knew whose influence was behind it.
“Demons then. They must want to negotiate with me.”
“That seems to be the case.”
“Well, that’s convenient. I also had something to discuss with them.”
“Discuss?”
“I found something troubling during the investigation.”
The Dungeon Field Class Incident.
Yeriel quietly muttered those words under his breath.
It was another moment when the hypothesis of a close connection with demons gained weight.
“This is the last matter.”
“There’s more?”
Windy May sighed as if tired.
“Now it seems it’s not that you’re like my mother, but I’m like yours.”
“Good heavens, to have a mother like you.”
Yeriel shook his head slightly.
Annoyed at his disgusted reaction, Windy May grabbed a towel from the table and threw it at him.
But Yeriel, practiced, caught it easily and tossed it back to her.
Windy May, unlike him, was unprepared.
“The last issue concerns the demon exchange students in the Integrated Class.”
“We decided that would only be discussed after the Imperial Family reached an agreement with them.”
Grabbing the towel off her face with annoyance, Windy May grumbled.
“That was the plan, but another opinion was raised. It sounded reasonable, so I thought we might have a meeting among ourselves first. It never hurts to prepare a stance.”
“Another opinion? From who?”
“My secretary.”
“Secretary?”
Windy May tilted her head in puzzlement.
“You had a secretary? Since when?”
“Not long. There’s no way I could handle all those matters alone.”
“…Really?”
“In any case, that’s not what’s important. So… hmm.”
Mid-sentence, Yeriel looked around as if his throat was parched.
Then spotting the teacup placed by Lian’s bedside, he brightened.
“Would it be alright if I drank that? My throat’s dry from speaking so much.”
“Sure, if you pay a hundred gold coins.”
“When I’m dead, take it from my pocket.”
“Fine, but then I’ll charge interest and make it a thousand.”
“Making money is too easy.”
Yeriel said this as he walked toward the teacup.
But just then, he noticed the bandages wrapped around Lian’s shoulder and collarbone.
“Seems he’s injured?”
“Yes, he must be training his body diligently. I already placed a healing spell on him, so—wait, don’t touch! You idiot!”
Startled, Yeriel froze with his hand half-extended.
“Good heavens, it’s his heart! You looked exhausted, so I thought I’d heal him instead. Did you think I’d devour him?”
“He’s my disciple! If you interfere, the healing spell I placed will be overwritten! I’ll do it, so you just sit quietly and drink your tea!”
“Oh dear, really…”
Clicking his tongue at her overprotective behavior, he stepped back.
Rising from her seat, Windy May strode over and placed her hand on the bandaged area.
“……”
Then she tugged at the bandages, tightening them firmly.
So that no one could see what lay beneath.