Chapter 198 : Chapter 198
Chapter 198. Grade Representative Hiking Meeting
“That is not the case.”
Radel shook his head at Professor Bronson’s question.
He was ready to cast a spell whenever he had a chance.
He just hadn’t found that chance.
“The reason I couldn’t attack was because I couldn’t find a gap in the Defensive Magic the professor cast.”
Radel answered calmly.
He continued to feel the flow of mana to dig into the gap of the magic Professor Bronson cast.
‘I intended to target it if there was a weak part.’
However, no matter how much he examined, a gap didn’t exist.
The sphere of magic power surrounding Professor Bronson was that perfect.
It couldn’t be anything but remarkably uniform mana control.
“I thought attacking the professor as is would only be a waste of magic power.”
Professor Bronson smirked upon hearing Radel’s answer.
At the same time, a familiar notification sound rang in Radel’s ears.
DING.
[The target’s affinity breaks through 5.]
[The target’s affinity has become 15.]
‘I felt it in Mana Training too, but he isn’t an ordinary fellow.’
Professor Bronson had no choice but to admit it while looking at Radel’s unwavering eyes.
That he quite liked that extraordinary fellow.
However, he was still just a greenhorn with a lot to learn.
Professor Bronson looked around at the students and said.
“Everyone must have seen. This is how Defensive Magic is done. You just need to become perfect enough that the opponent doesn’t dare to attack.”
At Professor Bronson’s matter-of-fact words, the students’ pupils trembled.
So how do we do that……?
The students were seeing such powerful Defensive Magic for the first time in their lives.
Still, it was also true that they became interested since they saw it with their own eyes.
“Professor, I don’t understand well. Please explain a little more.”
“That is correct. How should we operate magic power?”
“How should we use the spells?”
As students raised their hands and asked, Professor Bronson’s forehead furrowed.
Honestly, even up to now, he had taught much more kindly than his usual teaching style.
If it were Mana Training, he would have just thrown a fishing rod and left them alone for the whole semester. Since he ended up taking charge of someone else’s lecture, he couldn’t teach roughly either.
Professor Bronson answered as if annoyed.
“Magic is will. I think I have answered enough with this.”
The students could only be more flustered.
To say he answered enough leaving only such abrupt words.
Indeed, they wondered who would understand.
However, there was one.
A student who nodded as soon as Professor Bronson finished speaking.
It was none other than Radel.
“Indeed…… was it like that.”
Radel, muttering as if realizing something with his chin resting on his hand, took out a notebook as if he should write it down before forgetting.
Even that appearance was just bewildering to the seniors.
They were dumbfounded looking at Radel writing down about Defensive Magic in his notebook.
What is it? Why is he understanding alone?
* * *
The day of the Grade Representative meeting.
Radel was heading to the meeting place carrying a backpack with Space Expansion Magic that Edward had gifted him before.
Following the seniors’ opinion to start energetically with the new semester, they decided to have this meeting outdoors.
In other words, it was practically a picnic.
“Let’s see. Is this the right place?”
Radel tilted his head back and looked up.
The endlessly stretching Marcellent mountain range was looking down on Radel.
The place decided to meet today was a place chosen by the fourth-year Shartea.
Shartea decided on the mountain range behind the Academy as the meeting place without hesitation.
“Radel!”
As Radel was looking up at the mountain, a voice calling him was heard from behind.
The owner of the voice was Anesha, who was smiling brightly and waving her hand.
“You came first!”
“Don’t tell me, we aren’t really climbing up here, right?”
Behind Anesha, Pasion, who was fed up with the height of the mountain, was also seen.
Radel greeted the two seniors happily.
“You came, seniors.”
“Sigh, I still can’t believe it. To think the Marcellent mountain range would be our first picnic spot.”
“That’s right. To think we would meet here.”
As Pasion sighed, Anesha also chimed in.
The two conversed back and forth.
“It reminds me of the freshman adaptation period. My knees still ache from how much we climbed mountains in Cryptozoology lectures.”
“I know, Senior. That’s why you still shudder if it’s Cryptozoology.”
“Hey. It’s not to that extent. I just swore never to major in it.”
Since Pasion was double majoring in Summoning Magic and Transmutation Magic, that vow was kept in a sense.
“Senior Anesha, don’t you often come to the mountain to gather ingredients?”
As Radel asked, Anesha waved her hand and said.
“After becoming a second-year, almost never. Most alchemy ingredients can be supplied from the herb garden. If there is something needed, I often trade at the black market.”
Radel recalled the Academy black market he went to just once last semester.
It was basic to trade by barter there, not money.
Certainly, for Alchemy majors, it seemed going to the black market would be a big help in supplying ingredients if they just had items to sell.
“By the way, Senior Shartea hasn’t come yet?”
As soon as Pasion’s words fell, Shartea’s voice was heard.
“No way. I arrived earlier and was lightly looking around the place we will climb.”
Shartea was coming down from the mountain.
Seeing Shartea, Anesha opened her mouth in surprise.
“Senior, that isn’t a path.”
Shartea was breaking through the path, whacking the overgrown bushes and branches with her scabbard.
It wasn’t unreasonable for Anesha to be surprised.
“Right, boring walking trails can’t compare. I prepared specially for you guys.”
Only then did Pasion, grasping the situation, turn pale.
“Senior Shartea, are you saying we are really climbing up here?”
Pasion, who usually didn’t lose his smile, was flustered.
It seemed Shartea intended to make the juniors hike by making a path that didn’t exist.
“Although it was a place I wanted to know alone…… I am glad to be able to come to such a place with my most cherished juniors.”
For Senior Shartea to say up to this extent.
To call us her most cherished juniors!
Pasion realized he had to accept the approaching fate.
having come this far, he couldn’t not climb up.
* * *
“Ugh.”
A sound suppressing pain flowed from Pasion’s mouth.
Anesha following behind wasn’t much different.
“Huuuh…….”
Anesha made a groaning sound relying her trembling body on the stick held in her hand.
Before he knew it, a long wooden stick was held in Pasion’s hand too.
Radel had picked up sturdy-looking branches and made them for the two.
It had already been over two hours since they climbed the mountain, but the summit showed no signs of appearing.
Even the backs of Shartea and Radel, who had already passed them and gone up, weren’t visible.
“I am definitely taking a physical training lecture once a week…….”
“Me too…….”
If one was an Academy student, it was a school rule to unconditionally take one physical training lecture each during the semester.
That meant Pasion and Anesha, who had diligently taken physical training classes, were confident in their stamina compared to ordinary mages.
“But why is it so hard……?”
“……Those two are like monsters.”
It seemed like that even to Anesha’s eyes.
The appearance of Shartea climbing while breaking through a path that didn’t exist and Radel following behind without showing signs of fatigue was extraordinary.
“We do attend a Magic Academy, right?”
“……Of course. Should I use magic to cool down like a mage?”
“Yes, I think we need some wind.”
Since Shartea and Radel were climbing the mountain with appearances not like mages at all, they felt like they should at least use magic.
Anesha and Pasion barely followed the two while cooling their sweat with Wind Element Magic.
“Did you come, seniors?”
Upon reaching the summit, Radel had lit a small campfire and was waiting for Anesha and Pasion.
He said Shartea went out to look around if there were dangerous beasts or magical beasts nearby.
“She went to climb the mountain…… again?”
“Yes, since it is a picnic after all. Being safe is good, you know.”
Pasion and Anesha looked at each other and nodded.
It was a silent signal promising never to come to the mountain with these people again.
“It was hard, right? Please eat this first.”
Radel seated Anesha and Pasion, then took something out of his backpack.
It was a sandwich made with care.
“What is this?”
“Did you prepare this?”
The two received the sandwich Radel gave and made bewildered expressions.
Because they didn’t know a junior would prepare up to this extent.
“I went to the Academy cafeteria kitchen and made it with the mothers there. Since it is the first time meeting outside with seniors, I prepared this and that.”
Pasion and Anesha, who didn’t think they would really hike, hadn’t prepared anything in particular.
Having climbed up with difficulty relying on sticks Radel made, and even receiving sandwiches, the two became embarrassed for no reason.
However, as the delicious-looking sandwich appeared, an earthquake occurred in the stomachs of the two who finished the arduous hike.
GROWL.
“You must be hungry, try a bite. There is plenty.”
On top of that, Radel was even boiling water now.
Radel, doing something with skillful dexterity, handed cups to Anesha and Pasion.
Warm coffee was half-filled in the cups.
“To even prepare coffee…….”
“Ah, wait a moment. It tastes better if you put this in.”
Then he summoned ice and put it in the cups.
Pasion and Anesha were surprised.
They always drank warm coffee, but putting ice in coffee was a first.
“What is this?”
“Well. If I had to give it a name, Iced Coffee would be good.”
Their slight fluster was brief, the two drank the coffee cooled by ice and were amazed.
It was better than they thought.
“This…… is good?”
Pasion admired and gulped down the Iced Coffee.
The fatigue of hiking washed down with a cup of cool coffee.
It felt like vitality would be recharged if one drank this even after doing hard work.
Perhaps Anesha liked it too as she nodded.
“This could be sold for money.”
“Is that so? I am glad you like it.”
Indeed, coffee with ice was a potion responsible for the day of office workers even in modern society.
While Radel was thinking about the marketability of Iced Coffee, Anesha asked.
“By the way Radel, you climb mountains too well. Did you perhaps cast Enhancement Magic on your legs?”
“Enhancement Magic?”
“Yeah, there is a very famous Enhancement Magic professor at the Academy. They say if you use Enhancement Magic, it makes the body strong instantly.”
Come to think of it, Enhancement Magic was a subject included in the timetable Professor Lilian newly planned.
“Oh right, it would be difficult for a first-year to take yet. That professor is rumored to be extraordinary. Did they say he is a bit similar to Professor Bronson Sendert?”
Similar to Professor Bronson.
It means he is a tremendous expert.
Radel became interested at Anesha’s words.