novelraw Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Suspicious Friends
Indeed, Russel’s magic was far stronger than the one he had used on me.
Even if it was merely a non-lethal flash spell, it was more than enough to torment the eyes of everyone in the classroom.
In terms of control and proficiency—judging by 1st Circle standards—it was perfect.
But how could it differ this much in just a few hours?
Did that mean he had deliberately weakened the magic he used on me?
I couldn’t help but be bewildered.
“Ugh…!”
“It hurts…!”
Most of the students were clutching their eyes, groaning with their heads buried in their desks.
There was a reason he had been so full of confidence.
But then—
“What? What are you seeing?”
“Why’s everyone acting like that?”
Familiar voices came from both my sides.
It was Kiena and Hei.
“Artel, do your eyes sting too?”
What was this…? Russel’s magic was clearly powerful enough, so why were Hei and Kiena unaffected?
It could only mean one thing.
Wasn’t it said that the intensity, size, and amount of mana all influenced the manifestation of magic?
That meant that while the amount of mana Kiena and Hei had might be similar to Russel’s, the density and quality of theirs were on an entirely different level.
That was why neither Reji nor I were affected—and even Kiena and Hei remained calm.
“What are you guys…?”
Russel began to panic.
Everyone else—all twenty-seven of them—was screaming in pain and clutching their eyes, yet the three of us were sitting there unbothered.
“Student Russel, I think that’s enough. Unfortunately, since you’ve only recently found your elemental affinity, your control still appears lacking—even to my eyes.”
She spoke while placing a hand on Russel’s shoulder.
Thankfully, as a 6th Circle Mage, she seemed to interpret the cause of this phenomenon as nothing more than Russel’s lack of control.
“What on earth is going on…?”
Of course, he couldn’t understand.
Even I hadn’t imagined that Kiena and Hei’s mana would be that dense and powerful.
It meant that the results they’d achieved during the vacation weren’t just luck after all.
“No! Something’s not right!”
As expected, that stubborn fool never learned.
“Student Russel, I believe you’ve already done enough. If you keep this up, I’ll have no choice but to report this to the Vice Headmaster.”
“……”
And that obstinate Russel immediately backed down at the mere mention of the Vice Headmaster.
At the same time, the magic ceased, and the students who had been suffering let out sighs of relief.
Some even shed tears because their eyes stung so badly.
“You may return to your seat now.”
His face was covered in sheer dejection.
Even if he wanted to be stubborn, he couldn’t be now.
His expression practically said it all—
‘As much as I don’t want to believe it, do I really lack control?’
Russel tilted his head repeatedly, looking confused, and returned to his seat.
“Then, let’s begin the class.”
Once the situation had settled, Reji was finally able to resume teaching properly.
Still, I couldn’t help but wonder—did the Vice Headmaster have some sort of connection with House Mihael?
Just judging from Russel’s behavior, it was clear that he feared the Vice Headmaster deeply.
So much had happened during the very first class of the semester that I couldn’t focus on the lesson at all.
But there was something else I was far more curious about.
Kiena and Hei.
‘Those two… they’re special.’
The fact that they were unaffected by Russel’s magic—
If they were really at the 1st Circle level, they should’ve been hit by it without fail. So just what level were they at?
I hadn’t seen them during the vacation, but…
“Why are you looking at me like that, Artel?”
I came to my senses when my eyes met Kiena’s.
“It’s nothing.”
When lunchtime came, Kiena, Hei, and I went to the cafeteria together, just like during the break.
We were eating together as usual, but this time there was a difference—now that school had started, the cafeteria was much more crowded.
Hei’s appetite, in particular, was astounding. I couldn’t understand how he could eat the same food every day and still enjoy it so much without getting tired of it.
“Is it that good, Hei?”
“I was just hungry.”
Kiena asked, and Hei—his mouth still stuffed full of bread—nodded exaggeratedly in reply.
Then Kiena’s gaze shifted toward me.
“Artel, what did Russel say to you earlier?”
“What do you mean?”
“He said you used a flash spell.”
After glancing around cautiously, Kiena lowered her voice and leaned closer.
“Was that true?”
“Of course not. I’m a fire elementalist. How could I handle light magic?”
“Right? I thought so too. But Russel should know that—so why would he say something so ridiculous?”
“Maybe he just wanted an excuse to hit on you, Kiena.”
“That’d be the worst…”
At Hei’s comment, Kiena’s face turned pale.
So that was it, huh?
Even in the hallway, Russel had said, “At least Kiena’s pretty.”
So he hadn’t said that for nothing.
And as lunchtime was nearly over, Russel and his group entered the cafeteria.
As usual, Russel walked in the center, flanked on both sides by a couple of nameless students who followed him around like attendants.
The moment he came in, Russel gave me a quick glance, then quickly turned his head away and sat far from us.
“I really can’t stand those guys.”
Hei muttered.
“Russel?”
“No, the two next to him—Hoon and Iel.”
I could tell from context that those were the names of the two students beside Russel.
“Why?”
“They’re not even nobles, yet they’re trying so hard to curry favor with Russel. It’s pathetic.”
I had thought those two seemed a bit off—and now I knew why.
Just like a fiefdom of its own, Russel used his noble background to build his own faction, beginning from Class 0.
It wasn’t surprising—such things were common among mages from noble families.
“So that’s all he learned from his family, huh.”
“Doesn’t he feel embarrassed? Does he think acting like that will make him a member of House Mihael?”
“What about you, Hei? Do you want to be part of a noble family?”
Kiena suddenly asked.
“Hmm…”
Hei looked between Kiena and me, deeply pondering.
Just as I thought he might have no particular opinion—
“If it’s a family that would take all three of us together, I’d go. What about you, Kiena?”
“Of course! The three of us must never be separated! Right, Artel?”
“Uh…?”
Their innocent replies honestly left me a little stunned.
In the Magical Society, there were only a few paths for growth: becoming a disciple of an Archmage, founding one’s own family, or—if neither was possible—joining an existing family.
Yet these two said they wouldn’t go unless we could all go together…
It was a childish sentiment, perhaps one that might change later, but I was still surprised that these young students were thinking that way.
“What? Artel, are you planning to dump us and run off if some noble family offers to take you?”
Kiena glared at me, clearly miffed that I hadn’t answered right away.
“Of course not.”
“I knew it! You think the same as we do!”
I had raised them with the intent of turning them into my followers, but after seeing how they weren’t even affected by Russel’s spell earlier—and now, how they thought of us as one unit—
I couldn’t help but feel a small desire form within me.
If, someday, I could defeat Tyrant, the one above me, and regain my title as Archmage… then I’d want to found my own family and take these two in.
‘So for now, let’s just aim to reach the 6th Circle together, you two.’
If we could reach that point, endless possibilities would open up.
Ed Branch’s highest floor—the 8th floor.
Commonly known as the Headmaster’s Floor.
At its center stood a small, single-story building surrounded by a garden of lush green grass.
Though the building itself never changed, the scenery around it constantly did.
Some days, the garden became an ocean. Other days, it turned into a cliff.
It all shifted according to the mood of the Headmaster, Ed Etar.
The fact that today it remained a garden meant Etar was in a fairly good mood.
The single-story building resembled a noble household’s main estate, with its open corridors.
And within it, there was only one room—the Headmaster’s office, which was Ed Etar’s private chamber.
Vice Headmaster Draco Former stood before the door, glancing at the garden with relief.
‘Seems like today’s a good day to visit.’
He knocked carefully, and from within came a calm voice telling him to enter.
“Headmaster, did you have a pleasant vacation?”
He bowed slightly, speaking with utmost respect.
“Let’s skip the formalities. Why have you come?”
Ed Etar appeared before him in his wheelchair.
“It’s about a student from Class 0 named Artel.”
“I was expecting news about him.”
“Yes, and I just received a report from Teacher Reji. The three of them have found their path.”
“Path” was their code word.
It meant that the Class 0 students had discovered their elemental affinity or their summoning type.
“The results?”
“Kiena is a summoner. The other two are elementalists—both of fire.”
Etar smiled faintly, a smile whose meaning was impossible to read.
Rumble—!
A deafening sound erupted outside.
When they looked through the window, the garden remained—but the weather had changed.
The sky darkened abruptly, and a crimson moon hung above.
Even Former had never seen this particular scene before, so he couldn’t gauge Etar’s emotions.
“Students who hadn’t progressed for five years suddenly found their paths in just two months.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Wouldn’t that be the effect of The Beginner’s Guide?”
To find their paths within merely two months—it wasn’t something that could be achieved simply by the three of them working together.
“But I truly don’t understand. How did they even learn of that book’s existence, and why would a student who knew about it remain stuck on the introductory floor for five years…?”
“Isn’t that precisely what we should investigate now?”
“I’ll look into it.”
“No need. Actually, now that I think of it—doesn’t the afternoon class start soon?”
At his question, Former checked Class 0’s schedule through the Mob.
“Yes, it does.”
“Then why don’t you pay them a visit—meet that Artel student.”
“…Pardon?”
“Why the surprise? Just introduce it as a simple Vice Headmaster’s address—a motivational visit for the students. You can shake each of their hands while you’re at it.”
“But… if I do that…”
Draco Former hesitated, clearly worried, but Etar shook his head firmly.
It was a gesture that meant ‘Don’t worry.’
“While you’re there, observe that Artel student closely. Memorize the atmosphere, the reactions, everything. Then report back to me.”
“…Yes, understood.”
Etar’s tone was so resolute that Former could only assume he had a clear plan in mind.
So, without asking further, he bowed and left the Headmaster’s office.
Once Former was gone, Etar turned his wheelchair toward the wall.
There were no bookshelves or paintings there—but when he flicked his fingers, a small flame flickered and vanished.
In that instant, a white robe appeared on the once-bare wall, its sleeves hanging long enough to touch the floor.
“Master Archis… Could it be—just by the slimmest chance—that the descendant you swore didn’t exist… truly does?”
That robe was the very one Archis Eimer had worn on the day he was killed by Draco Tyrant at the pinnacle, three hundred years ago.
“Whichever the case… I look forward to finding out. It won’t be long now.”
Once again, he smiled—an enigmatic, meaningful smile.