EP.158 Fall, new semester (1)
Summer is the season of preparation.
Under the scorching heat, take a break and prepare for the coming fall. The same was true for Aplia Academy. During the long vacation, Aplia students enjoy a sweet break. It is a rest that cannot be this sweet.
There is no need to be afraid of assignments.
There is no need to be afraid of the nightmares that come every night.
Peace of mind and leisurely.
I even feel like I am being rewarded for overcoming the hardships and adversity of the semester. Each student spends their vacation in their own way, such as going on a trip together and indulging in the magic books they’ve been wanting to read.
“You don’t need to see it.”
However, not everyone is like that.
“It’s a lame excuse. It’s a document not worth reading. I think you can organize that appropriately. Oh, we have quantified the performance of each class in the second quarter, so please notify us separately.”
There are people who spend their vacation busier than anyone else.
“The alchemy lab is performing poorly. A budget cut has been decided for next month, so please share it with us. “I think we can move the cut budget to the engineering lab.”
The top floor of the Gray Magic Tower, the office of the next Magic Tower Lord.
The girl sitting there continued speaking with her eyebrows raised.
“And again…”
gulp.
The Magic Tower’s general secretary, who receives her instructions, swallows dry saliva. It has to be that way. The fate of each class is determined by a single gesture or word of the girl in front of you. Many first-class wizards laugh and cry.
“Yes, that’s it.”
The next Mage Tower owner, Resty Eleanoa.
She finished speaking, brushing her purple hair. Even though she has been working all night for several days already, there is not even a trace of fatigue in her eyes.
‘···Suddenly the person changed.’
There is no time to be surprised by the change.
The general secretary was also busy with the crazy rush of work. People have changed so much in a short period of time. So much so that I don’t even know.
‘It’s hard to adapt.’
This was not just a problem for the general secretary. All levels of the Gray Magic Tower are unable to keep up with the changes.
It is inevitable.
Resty Eleanor. During the years she sat as the next Magic Tower Lord, she did not wield power. Therefore, in fact, the position of the next Magic Tower Lord was like a vacant position for her. That’s three years.
But, what is this?
A few months ago, with a fairly shocking announcement… the next Mabju sat in the seat he was supposed to sit in. Then he begins to wield power. He begins to manage the magic tower.
It was very noisy.
Amid the commotion, there were several big and small incidents.
There were many wizards who would not follow her instructions. That seat belongs to the Gray Wizard. It’s not just a place for you to sit. Wizards who thought that way rose up around the elders…
“Elder Herbert’s retirement.”
The central elder was kicked out of the magic tower.
The faction managed by Elder Herbert was completely disbanded. Naturally, the voices of dissatisfaction died down. At that point, everyone noticed.
‘A magic tower lord who has ‘something’ that can drive out even an elder who has served the magic tower his entire life.’
There is something in her hand.
There is no way it won’t be directed at them. Dissatisfaction remains. However, no wizard was courageous enough to express it openly.
Silence due to fear.
However, as usual with the reign of terror, it cannot last long. Everyone’s eyes are wide open, waiting for that arrogant magic tower owner to make a mistake and give them a chance to bite.
Two months passed like that.
Still, the next magic tower owner does not make mistakes. It is performing its role perfectly. Rather, Matopp’s overall performance is showing an upward curve for the first time in recent years. From that point on, she had her staunchest supporters.
“I will support the next magic tower lord.”
The oldest elder of the Gray Magic Tower.
Elder Gilleon assists her. The largest faction of the Mage Tower is looking after the current next Mage Tower owner. Little by little, but surely, she is devouring the Magic Tower.
The general secretary saw it all from up close. Therefore, she even feels awe at the girl in front of her. That is also the feeling she felt towards the wizard who sat there a long time ago.
‘···Ashen Wizard, Raniel Van Trias.’
He also went through this same process.
Everyone ignored him, but he was always faithful to his role. When he came to his senses, the Magic Tower had already fallen into his hands. Even those who were dissatisfied remained silent in the face of overwhelming performance.
And now.
History like that time is about to repeat itself.
‘Turning point.’
At the center is Resty Eleanor.
The general secretary glanced at the girl sitting in the office.
Cold eyes and a cool voice.
A girl who handles work without resting…like a machine. In the eyes of her general secretary, she did not appear to be a human being like herself.
That was the moment when I was staring at her blankly.
A cold voice echoed throughout the office.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Go down.
It was the moment when the general secretary was about to leave the office in response to Resty’s instructions. A sound rang in her ears. It was a message that came through her reply from the lobby of the Magic Tower.
-General Secretary, there is a customer who would like to meet the next Magic Tower Lord.
Who is this visitor that sends a reply directly to you? There won’t be any guests scheduled. At that moment, the general secretary frowned and asked for the identity of the visitor.
“······!”
The secretary’s eyes widen at the answer he heard.
The secretary immediately reported to the next Magic Tower owner.
“Well, the next Magic Tower Lord.”
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“What happened?”
“There is one customer who would like to meet the next Magic Tower Lord.”
“There will be no promises. I’m not relaxed enough to receive a surprise visit. Please send it back.”
“Well, he’s a bit difficult to kick out…”
Resty frowned.
She nodded. It’s a gesture that seems to ask you to tell me who she is. The general secretary answered that question.
“Elder Rossell visited with his daughter.”
Resty’s shoulders trembled.
To be more precise, the word ‘daughter’.
She looked up from her papers and looked at her secretary. Those eyes are different from usual. The secretary felt that a significant change appeared in the girl’s machine-like face.
Anticipation, and joy.
The secretary blinked for a moment, wondering if she had seen something wrong. When she closed her eyes for a moment and opened them, there was a girl who had returned to her usual expressionless expression. She coughed briefly and said.
“Please guide me to the reception room.”
It was a strangely excited voice.
2.
“Speak well and come back. “I’ll stop going.”
“Master, aren’t you going with us?”
“Nothing good comes from me staying in the Magic Tower for a long time. It will only be a hindrance. And, I think he would prefer to talk with you alone.”
I parted ways with my teacher at the entrance to the magic tower. From the beginning, I felt like he came to let me through.
“···ah!”
After waiting in the lobby for a while, the general secretary came down. She made eye contact with me and approached me with her brisk steps.
‘It’s been a while since I sent that person off too.’
He was a familiar person to me.
Because he was also my secretary at one time. After answering her simple questions, I climbed her magic tower with her guidance.
“I will guide you to the reception room.”
It had been a long time since I set foot in the Magic Tower.
Although it had been a few years since I had visited the Gray Magic Tower… it was not that unfamiliar. The facility hadn’t changed much, and the faces of the wizards coming and going were familiar.
-···Is that him?
-Daughter of Elder Rossell…
-You are a professor at Aplia Academy?
I could hear voices whispering intermittently.
Every time I take a step, I feel eyes on me. Well, since I am the master’s disciple and adopted son, it would be natural for wizards to be interested…
-As expected, off-white…
-The appearance definitely attracts attention…
I quickly turned my head.
When I looked at the place where the voice came from, the wizards passing by quickly lowered their heads. I glared at them and muttered.
“Are there a lot of relaxed people?”
“···yes?”
The general secretary tilted his head at my words.
“Isn’t the quarter about to end by now? It must be a period to organize research results, settle accounts, and organize performance… I guess there is time to talk leisurely like that?”
It wasn’t like that when I was there.
Everyone was stuck in the lab, so there wasn’t a single person coming or going in the hallway.
‘Anyway, things these days…’
I clicked my tongue and said, “Tsk, tsk.”
I couldn’t help but sigh because the discipline of the Magic Tower had become so lax. There were a lot of things I wanted to say to them, but I used superhuman patience and held them back.
“…You know very well about the Magic Tower, right?”
“…I heard something from my teacher.”
At my words, the general secretary tilted his head with a strange expression. It was as if he was experiencing déjà vu. I pretended not to notice and walked on.
For a long time.
“The next Magic Tower Lord is waiting.”
The top floor of the Gray Magic Tower.
The general secretary who guided me to the reception room next to the Magic Tower Lord’s office took a step back. I knocked lightly and entered the reception room.
“welcome.”
A girl sitting in the reception room.
Resty, wearing a robe with the symbol of the Gray Magic Tower rather than the school uniform she always wore, smiled brightly at me.
“Professor Rania.”
“long time no see. Resty.”
This is the first face I see since vacation.
Although the vacation was only about two months, it feels a little unfamiliar. I felt like it wasn’t necessarily my fault.
‘It’s changed a bit.’
The surrounding atmosphere has changed.
It’s not like it used to be like before. Anyway, it was a good change, so I smiled slightly.
“I don’t know if you came to visit me because I’m busy.”
“It’s okay because it’s being completed to some extent. “I finished the work a little early.”
I sat down on the chair across from Resty.
The reception room next to the Magic Tower Lord’s office was just as I remembered. I smiled bitterly as I looked at the sofa in the corner of the reception room.
‘That’s the same too.’
It seems like just yesterday that I stayed up all night working, curled up on the sofa in the reception room, and fell asleep. As the robe was thrown away carelessly, even the hanger that Master had hung next to the sofa was still there.
However, the clothes hanging there are different.
A new magic tower master’s spare robe with the symbol of the new gray magic tower engraved on it. That was the change that came to the Gray Magic Tower over the past few years. I nodded slightly and opened my mouth.
“They kicked out an elder.”
“He was a very annoying elder.”
It’s annoying.
It was quite a refreshing word to hear from Resty’s mouth. I smiled bitterly and continued.
“Do you think the information you provided was helpful?”
“···Yes, really.”
Resty slightly lowered his head.
She pulled on the necklace string and pulled the small cuboid hanging from the end of the string out of her clothes.
“It really helped me a lot.”
“It must have been difficult to write.”
“It was difficult, but compared to what I had done so far, it was easy.”
A dagger that I have prepared to stab the elders.
It was given to Resty in Rania’s name.
Resty said while holding it tightly.
“I dragged Elder Gilleon in, incited conflict between other elders… and leaked information little by little so that they could bite each other.”
I listened to Resty’s story.
“At a critical moment, I just gently pushed the other elders on the back. “There was no need for me to step forward.”
That was a different approach than I thought.
If I was the type to attack something head on and tear it down… Resty was the opposite.
‘You’re planning to make it flow in the direction you want.’
That must be this kid’s personality.
He resembles me, but is different in this respect.
“It’s different from the gray wizard.”
“is that so?”
“Because he was the kind of person who would just rush in and see.”
There was a time when I planned a plan, but once it got annoying, I just threw myself into it. Rather than worrying about this or that, it was faster to destroy it and clean up after it.
“Well, let’s stop chatting here.”
I said, “Clap,” and clapped.
“It is true that I came here to ask about your well-being personally, but I also have something to convey from the academic department.”
I took out the letter from my pocket.
The letter engraved with the symbol of Aaron, the president of Aplia Academy… was a kind of document.
“It is rare for Aplia to accommodate students, but since yours is the case, the teacher spoke to the dean separately.”
“If you say it separately…”
“The administration will take care of your convenience.”
I opened the letter. It was a letter written in circles to fit the format, but in summary, it was as follows.
“You don’t have to take every class. We will do our best to consider graduation requirements depending on the situation. “I will provide convenience so that you can graduate even if you only take basic liberal arts courses.”
He is a student who is also serving as the next Mage Tower owner.
In the first place, since he was a student who was comparable to the professor in most subjects, the academic department made a quite bold decision. It was an unusual privilege.
“In short, starting from the second semester, you can plan your lectures more leisurely. “I will provide convenience to the extent that it does not interfere with the work of the next Magic Tower owner.”
I asked, pushing the letter towards Resty.
“What do you want to do? “I’ll leave the choice up to you.”
“······.”
Resty looked at the letter in silence.
She thought for a moment and then raised her head. And then he spat out. In a very light voice.
“I think it’ll be okay.”
“…You must be busy?”
“Actually, I’m not that busy.”
Resty smiled bitterly and shook his head.
“Right now, I’m busy laying the foundation, but that’s almost finished… I’m not conducting any personal research in the first place.”
She said.
“I heard that Raniel, the next Mage Tower owner, during the time he was sitting here, not only did his work as the Mage Tower owner, but also participated in and led all kinds of individual research and class-specific research.”
Looking straight at me, Resty continued speaking.
“I can’t compare to him yet.”
There is a platinum glow in Resty’s eyes. A talent that has begun to blossom, a talent that she no longer hides.
“If you want to be recognized by everyone, you must not neglect anything. “I plan to graduate through the same process as other students so that I don’t get left behind.”
“What about personal study?”
“Because you can do it while you’re on the road. “I tried it once last semester, and it was more worth it than I thought.”
“Okay, well…”
I nodded.
“If it’s okay with you, you won’t need this.”
As I returned the letter I had held out, I smiled faintly. Compared to Resty at the beginning of the semester, the girl in front of me felt like a completely different person.
“You’re working hard.”
“Because the reason to work hard has become clear.”
Resty said.
“The professor said so. “Don’t do anything you might regret.”
Lesti pronounced with her own words what I once told her.
“I think I’ll regret it if I don’t work hard now.”
“···Anyway.”
I shook my head and stood up.
Resty also slowly stood up. Resty, who became a little brighter, smiled more easily, and spoke better, opened the door to the reception room.
“That robe.”
I pointed to Resty’s robe.
“It suits you well.”
“···Thank you, Professor.”
“Okay, I’ll see you when school starts.”
After seeing her off, I left the reception room. Before going down from the top floor, I glanced through the glass window into the office of the next Magic Tower Lord.
Where I once sat.
Now this is where that child sits.
Everything in the Magic Tower was familiar, but the office felt unfamiliar. But it wasn’t an unpleasant unfamiliarity. I took a lighter step.
‘Lark, Belnoa, and Resti.’
Each is growing along its own path.
I left the Magic Tower feeling fulfilled as a professor. It was a more rewarding job than I thought. What it means to be a professor.
It’s almost September now.
I walked along the streets of the end of summer, thinking about the upcoming second semester. It was a not so hot day.
3.
The long but short summer vacation is coming to an end.
Summer goes and fall comes. Ahead of Aplia’s upcoming start of school, students prepare for the new semester.
“Please study hard, master!”
“Be sure to say hello to Lady Rania too! Next time you come to the White Night Castle, expect more traps…!”
“Well, I understand.”
Lark heads to the capital, being seen off by shirtless muscular warriors. In a carriage moving through a snowy field, Lark makes resolutions for the new school year.
‘I’m taking away the senior position this semester.’
Defeat Belnoa.
I learned a lot and grew during the vacation. Lark draws a picture of his rival and smiles defiantly.
“Going back to the academy? Ayla.”
“Yes, Sister Leruel. As the new semester begins… I think I’ll go to the dormitory soon.”
“Yes, please include as many letters as possible. Checking your schedule is part of my job.”
“···Isn’t that just what you want to receive?”
“Do you still have that spirit in mind… or rather, the professor’s words? Forget it. “He is a professor who enjoys talking nonsense.”
“When did you say you were a trustworthy professor?”
“Everyone makes mistakes. “That professor tends to make a lot of mistakes.”
After being seen off by Lruelle, the fourth princess, Ayla, also heads to the dormitory. After learning about her older sister’s unique side, Ayla narrowed the distance between her and Le Ruel considerably during her vacation.
“Thank you for teaching me during vacation, Leruelle.”
“I’m glad it helped.”
One of the Ivory Tower’s pillars of honor.
When it comes to circuitry, Leruel is more knowledgeable than most scholars at the Magic Society. After receiving special tutoring for her, Ayla decides to pursue her senior year in circuit science this semester.
“Then I’ll go.”
The carriage carrying Ayla departs.
She looks out the window and looks forward to meeting in Aplia. Diverse relationships and diverse experiences. Now, it was time to reap the memories accumulated during the first semester.
“Youngman, then let’s go too.”
“Are you finally going? Go out quickly. “It’s disgusting now, you guys.”
Leaving behind Cardi, who was waving her hands as if she was tired, Belnoir gathered her luggage and stood up. It wasn’t just my luggage that was in those hands.
“Chloe, let’s go quickly?”
“Wait just a moment…!”
Soon the door to the store warehouse opens, and Chloe comes out, tying her hair. Just before she walked out of her store, dressed in Aplia’s school uniform, she waved her hand at Cardi.
“I’ll come back again during vacation, old man!”
“If possible, don’t come and send a letter. “Why do I keep going in this narrow, empty space?”
“If you keep doing that, are you going to come visit me on the weekends too? let’s go! Belnoa!”
Chloe walks briskly and stands next to Belnoir.
This is the academy life I dreamed of. Chloe walks with great excitement as she gets to live at the academy with her childhood friend.
“···You look so excited?”
“I’m looking forward to it!”
It’s not something to look forward to at all.
You will experience hell.
You were taken by a nightmare…
Those words filled Belnoa’s throat, but he decided not to break his childhood friend’s dream. It would be better to experience those things firsthand.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Summer, the season of preparation, is over.
Fall, the harvest season, is approaching.
Aplia Academy announced the start of school through the falling leaves. It was the beginning of the second semester.
