novelraw Chapter 120 : For Whom the Bell Tolls (1)
Chapter 120 : For Whom the Bell Tolls (1)
Chapter 120: For Whom the Bell Tolls (1)
When the test and training were decided—
Those who had resolved to participate thought that an extreme hellish training awaited them.
But reality was the exact opposite.
It was so mild that people even blurted out, “That’s it?”
“If you overwork talents who are about to enter the battlefield, what do you expect to happen? There’s no time to recover.”
That was how Eugene dismissed it, though he couldn’t help but feel somewhat deflated.
Still, all the training details he shared were remarkably efficient and well-structured.
Every word and every gesture Eugene made as he explained were the epitome of efficiency.
He carried on calmly and naturally, as though he had been born for this very moment.
Belfor, who had quietly joined in the training, struggled to suppress the exclamations of admiration escaping from him.
Even so, he couldn’t hide the faint smile tugging at his lips.
‘This bastard… did he spend that time as a recluse training instead of rotting away?’
There was no other way to explain it.
His grasp of tactics and his knack for devising strategy had always been exceptional.
But knowing well and teaching well were completely different realms.
‘There’s no way that guy, who used to get headaches just trying to control his subordinates because of his own genius, could’ve come up with something like that.’
Just looking at the final “Post-Interception Position Change Drill” said it all.
“There are roughly three main interception timings. If your spell is powerful enough, one interception will suffice. But if your offensive power is weak, or the enemy’s defense is high, it’s best to minimize the delay between each interception.”
“In such cases, coordination with your partner is key. Make sure to discuss it thoroughly. Don’t worry too much about switching speed—the goal is to prevent the enemy’s approach and delay formation collapse as much as possible.”
It was a textbook-perfect explanation, yet it was also remarkably kind.
If it had been the old, self-centered, authoritarian Eugene, he would’ve never said something like that.
Even now, the Eugene in Belfor’s memories was that man.
“What? You can’t even perform moving casts? You joined the Special Task Force without being able to handle such a basic spell? Absurd.”
“‘We’re soldiers, not mages,’ you say? Fine, I’ll ask you this then. Since joining the Task Force, how many beasts have you killed? You must’ve passed the hundred mark at least, right?”
“Eighty-nine? Ha, and you dare talk about being a mage with that pathetic record?”
“If you can’t be a first-rate mage, you should at least strive to be a first-rate soldier. But right now, your attitude isn’t even second-rate—it’s a third-rate among third-rates.”
“What gives you the right to be so rude, huh? Don’t tell me you think your precious background will cover up your lack of results?”
“Instead of wasting time criticizing my perfect strategy, focus on recognizing your own incompetence and train harder. Got it, Second Lieutenant?”
The image of him verbally shredding that poor rookie to his very soul still felt vivid.
‘He must’ve gone through a slump and come to truly understand how those less gifted feel… that’s probably it.’
Whether Eugene himself was aware of it or not, he left the training site immediately after everything was concluded.
A few of the participants left early to rest, while the rest continued training.
Perhaps some sense of camaraderie had formed through the process, because by the end, they all seemed rather close-knit.
Under Frederick and Belfor’s lead, they reviewed deployment timing, positions, and operational plans one last time before dispersing.
While most wore expressions of relief—
Rubia Magnus’ face remained dark throughout.
Even though she was one of the few who had performed exceptionally well during training, she still didn’t seem satisfied in the slightest.
“……”
Francia, who had been silently watching her, immediately followed when Rubia left the room.
Thus, the bustling Training Support Office regained its old stillness by midnight.
At the center of the Plaza of Glory—
“Professor Rubia!”
Rubia, walking slowly toward her quarters, turned at the familiar voice.
“…Miss Francia.”
“Are you heading back?”
“Yes. You too, Miss Francia?”
Francia nodded quietly.
“Would you… mind if I joined you for a bit?”
At her cautious request, a faint smile formed on Rubia’s lips.
“Is it alright not to return to your dormitory?”
“The dorm matron evacuated long ago, so it’s fine.”
“…I see, that makes sense.”
“Then, shall we?”
Without needing to say more, the two sat down together on a bench at the plaza.
They both exhaled softly—not quite sighs, but something close—as they eased their exhausted bodies from training.
“Phew… You really worked hard today too, Miss Francia.”
“…Thank you.”
Watching Rubia’s weary expression, Francia began carefully.
“Professor Rubia… are you alright?”
“Me?”
“Didn’t you push yourself too hard?”
“Haha, did it look that way?”
“To anyone watching, yes.”
Normally, she might’ve brushed it off—saying she was fine, that it was just nerves.
But at this moment, that was impossible.
Fragments of Eugene’s words still seemed to echo in her ears.
She had even sought advice from Cadet Francia, who had shown remarkable growth in such a short time—figuring she had nothing to lose—but it hadn’t changed anything.
It was the same during training.
There were results, yes, and she could feel her growth—but that was all.
Rather, her own limits had become painfully clear.
Some might say “Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles,” and take comfort in that, but—
“Being relied upon by others… I used to enjoy that, quite a lot actually.”
Without realizing it, she began to mutter her thoughts aloud.
“It made me feel acknowledged, even proud—like I’d become someone truly great.”
But that only held true while growth continued.
Everyone had their limits, and surpassing them was impossible for any human.
The moment one realized they could no longer grow, despair was inevitable.
“At sixteen, I became the youngest Agent in history. At twenty-one, I earned a Special-Class rank. By twenty-five, I was dispatched to Karbenna. I was supposed to return and be appointed to Duel Headquarters within the next two years.”
“……”
“They even said I might become the youngest Seer and the youngest Master of the Magic Tower in history… and, technically, that possibility still remains.”
She had followed the archetypal path of an elite mage from Duel.
But her encounter with Eugene Carter twelve years ago had irreversibly changed the foundation of her life.
From that day on, every step Rubia Magnus took had been for the sake of one person alone.
To become strong enough to be acknowledged by him.
To become someone he could trust and rely on.
She had devoted herself to that goal, almost desperately.
And yet—
Even so… it wasn’t enough.
The realm he gazed toward was far higher than even the peak of magic—the Master of the Magic Tower.
“There are only three, maybe five at most, in the entire Empire who can stand against an Executor of Dellowell.”
Rubia clenched her fists tightly and ground her teeth.
“Not reaching that height… not touching that realm… none of that should make me blame myself, and yet….”
Even across the whole world, there were fewer than fifty successors to the Guardian Deities.
If that was the case even for nations where the Palladion Faith was fervently preached—
Wasn’t it only natural that the Empire had yet to produce one?
She knew that well, but she couldn’t help feeling frustrated.
Because someone like her, who had failed to become a successor, would never be able to stop Karen Rosefield.
Countless people would fight desperately to stop the Executor of Blood.
The unlucky or the weak would fall first, and in the end, it would be Eugene Carter who faced Karen.
And if even he failed to stand against her—
If it all ended that way, if it led to Eugene Carter’s death—
She would never forgive herself.
“…That’s exactly what you told me before, Miss Francia.”
That accepting the fact you couldn’t do anything… was even scarier.
“In the end, it just means I wasn’t good enough. In the same situation, you’d have done it—but I wouldn’t.”
With a self-deprecating laugh, Rubia bowed her head low, hiding her face to conceal the tears welling in her eyes.
Seeing her so pitifully, perhaps something stirred within Francia.
“…I wasn’t much different, you know.”
For the first time, Francia began to speak the truth she had never told anyone.
“When the Brida Family collapsed… I was too young, and I had no power at all.”
But that was the logic of the defeated.
If one wished to be a victor, at the very least, one could not run away.
“So I decided to take responsibility myself. Making excuses or giving up wouldn’t change anything.”
She carried the heaviest burden she could bear upon her back.
Telling herself that she had a hand in her family’s destruction, she endured—not through despair, but by using vengeance as her strength.
But everyone eventually reached their limits.
Her mind and body were both driven to the very edge, and it was only a matter of time before she collapsed.
“If the Instructor hadn’t appeared back then, I definitely would have.”
He had shouldered her burden, supported her by the shoulders, and walked forward with unwavering confidence.
That was liberation—and salvation.
The obsession with revenge had kept her alive, but if she had tried to bear that weight alone, she would have broken long ago.
“Saving Eric… would’ve been impossible too.”
So—
Francia firmly grasped Rubia’s trembling hands and spoke with a resolute face.
“So I think… it’s alright to put down your burden, at least a little, Professor.”
Just as there’s no paradise waiting at the end of escape—
There are miracles for those who face things head-on.
“If one can’t do it alone, then two can. If two can’t, then three will.”
“……”
“You said earlier… that you wouldn’t be able to do it, right?”
Francia slowly rose from the bench.
“Maybe you’re right. I couldn’t save the Brida Family either.”
Even so—
“To assume the future me will fail the same way… that’s not my way.”
Her gaze lifted toward the stars scattered across the cloudless sky.
“…We all live dreaming of impossible futures.”
And we name that future hope.
“No one can guarantee that we’ll never reach it, right?”
As Rubia stared at the hand extended toward her, she murmured softly—
“The future… me.”
And then, she took it.
The girl’s hand—scarred, rough, and calloused beyond belief.
At that very moment—
A flood of words rushed into Rubia Magnus’s mind.
Words that had remained deep in her memory, but which she had long ignored.
“If you’re bound by who you used to be, or by how others see you… then cast off that weight, Rubia.”
“No matter what anyone else says, I will believe in you.”
“The future you stands in a place far beyond everyone’s imagination.”
As she quietly recalled the words once spoken by Eugene Carter, she found herself walking as if drawn by something unseen.
“…Professor?”
“I have to go to the Magic Tower.”
“The Magic Tower…?”
“That’s where the last piece of the puzzle is. I’m certain of it. This time, I’ll definitely—!”
“I—I’ll go with you!”
Her hurried steps soon turned into a run.
And in the empty plaza, only the faint glow of moonlight remained, shimmering softly.