Chapter 217 : Chapter 217
Chapter 217. He Must Have Matured A Little
Midterms continued.
Radel arrived at the World Tree to prepare for the Summoning Magic practical exam.
His direct senior, Rauf, who was waiting for Radel, raised his hand upon seeing him.
“You came. Over here.”
Rauf had come to check on Radel’s magic, saying he had time just then.
“Thank you for making time for me, Senior.”
“Ay, don’t mention it. Everyone does it.”
When Radel looked around, he indeed saw many direct seniors who had come to help their Juniors.
The Summoning Magic major was characterized by this harmonious atmosphere between seniors and Juniors.
Well, watching spirits frolic inside the huge World Tree filled with mana naturally made one’s heart peaceful.
Furthermore, Summoning Magic wasn’t a major aimed at combat in the first place.
Summoning Magic majors had especially fast achievements in elemental magic because the high-purity mana of the World Tree increased their elemental affinity.
If judging only by elemental magic, Summoning Magic majors were skilled enough to surpass Combat Magic majors.
However, Summoning Magic majors didn’t have much interest in combat.
If their goal was to unfold powerful magic, they would have chosen Combat Magic.
They had a lot of interest in pure magic itself.
They were mages who pursued becoming closer to nature by using magic and taking a step closer to the unknown power called magic.
Even so, an exam is an exam.
Harsh training was needed to meet Professor Marianne’s standards.
“Let’s see. What did you say the practical exam for the first-year midterm was?”
“It is omnidirectional elemental magic. Passing requires exceeding 20 seconds.”
“20 seconds…….”
In magic, 20 seconds was quite a long time.
There was a limit to the Magic Power a mage possessed, and omnidirectional magic consumed more Magic Power because the casting scale was large.
Rauf looked at Radel and gauged his amount of Magic Power.
“Still, it seems your Magic Power has increased compared to before.”
“Yes. It increased a little while doing Mana Training recently.”
It isn’t easy to increase the innate amount of Magic Power, but seeing his Junior consistently putting in effort made Rauf proud.
Moreover, based on his observation last time, Radel was also quite good at mana control.
According to Rauf’s direct senior, Fation, Radel was a Junior who didn’t need worrying about.
‘Rauf, I heard your direct Junior this time is the first-year representative?’
‘That is correct. Since you are the representative of the same grade, you would know well, Senior. What kind of Junior is he?’
‘How should I put it…… should I say there is no particular need to worry? He does well on his own.’
‘That is truly welcome news.’
‘Ah. Sometimes there are times when I wonder if he has worries. When that happens, don’t miss it and give him some advice. Then he overcomes it on his own again.’
Fation seemed easygoing but was a person with unexpectedly cool-headed aspects.
For him to evaluate someone this generously meant he really liked him.
Rauf also thought his direct Junior was not ordinary.
From contracting with ‘that’ spirit to his quick understanding of elements.
It was certain he would have prepared well for this practical midterm exam too.
However, Rauf did not rest assured.
No matter how outstanding, a first-year is a first-year.
There were parts where a senior’s help was needed.
Just then, a strange point caught Rauf’s eye.
‘Hmm? He looks like he has some worry?’
His eyes caught a subtle change in Radel.
It was clearly an expression of having a worry.
‘Surely he isn’t unprepared for the practical exam yet……?’
Rauf was convinced that now was the time to follow Senior Fation’s words.
When it seems there is a worry, don’t miss it and give advice!
“Do you perhaps have some worry?”
“Ah…… it must have shown.”
Radel hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth.
“Do you have siblings, Senior?”
“Me? I do. Quite a lot.”
Rauf was the eldest of a large, happy family with a string of younger siblings.
At Rauf’s answer that he had siblings, Radel’s face brightened.
“I see. Actually, I am a little worried because of my younger brother these days. Because that guy suddenly changed.”
Radel said while glancing at Leon, who was even now glaring at him from far away as if to kill him.
It was better than making a fuss about killing him, but as this state continued, he was gradually becoming worried.
They say when a person suddenly changes, it means their time to die has come.
Surely not Leon too……?
“I see. You mean you are worried because your brother suddenly changed?”
“That is correct, Senior. Why is he acting like that?”
Rauf listened to Radel’s worry seriously.
The story was that he originally hated him, his older brother, to death, but his attitude had changed recently.
However, although he watched from afar, he didn’t come close either.
In Rauf’s experience, something like this was one of two things.
“Well…… isn’t it that he wants to say something? Maybe he became ashamed of hating you all this time, or maybe he intends to apologize. Or maybe he just matured a little.”
When young, one might hate their siblings.
Rauf often saw cases where younger siblings even drew swords while fighting.
Not only younger brothers but even younger sisters didn’t hold back when fighting.
When Rauf’s two younger sisters started fighting, property was damaged and people around them were sent flying.
However, isn’t family something that becomes okay again even after fighting to the death.
As one ages, the breadth of understanding widens, so the relationship could improve.
‘Matured a little…….’
Radel nodded at Rauf’s advice.
“I don’t have to think too seriously about it then. Thank you, Senior.”
“If anything happens in the future, tell me anytime. Oh right, what element did you prepare for this practical exam?”
When Rauf asked, Radel answered without hesitation.
“It is the wind element. I got a hint from Senior Tarun’s Wind Wall.”
“Huh? Wind Wall?”
“Yes. Senior Tarun once saved me with that magic.”
“Really? That guy used such tremendous magic……?”
Rauf recalled Tarun, who was a second-year like him.
If one was an Academy student, there were a few elemental magic spells they could handle freely.
However, no one gave separate names to magic.
Inside, one might make them up alone, but no one had the courage to shout out the name of magic they personally named in front of professors or seniors with outstanding skills.
Unless they were mages who had transcended the realm, named magic at a student level was unheard of.
While Rauf was surprised by Tarun’s spirit.
Tarun was conquering the Tower of Combat.
“Huh?”
Tarun, whose ear suddenly itched, stopped while trying to go up to the next floor.
“……Is someone talking about me?”
He didn’t know yet.
That his Wind Wall was gradually becoming famous…….
It was a long time later that Tarun came to know that terrible fact.
* * *
Cryptozoology class.
The practical exam for this midterm was to hatch a new egg.
The first-years were holding a magical beast’s egg each.
Professor Donton Murr laughed heartily while looking at the students.
“Kuhaha! If you are a Cryptozoology major, you should be able to hatch even a magical beast’s egg you see for the first time! Although taming an adult is important, facing a newly born life is another joy for Cryptozoology majors!”
And he flipped the large hourglass he was holding.
“The time limit is until the sand in this hourglass runs out! Those who haven’t hatched it by then are all failing grades!”
Failing grade.
It was the most fearful word to the first-years.
They automatically recalled Professor Marianne, the professor in charge of the Black Falcon Dormitory.
The professor’s cold expression and the dry stone from which water dripped…….
The first-years, who swallowed dryly, quickly started examining the eggs they received.
The eggs they received were all different.
Size and shape, color or texture were all distinct.
Radel also examined the egg he received.
Seeing the speed at which the sand in the hourglass Professor Donton flipped was falling, the given time wasn’t that generous.
If so, he would have prepared eggs that could hatch within that time.
The probability was high that he gave eggs on the verge of hatching or eggs that could be born immediately if conditions were met.
“It means it could be born even right now…….”
Radel pressed the egg firmly.
It wasn’t hard.
“The outside is soft.”
Maybe it’s an insect-type magical beast?
Radel, having gotten a hunch, turned his body holding the egg larger than his palm.
And his eyes met with Leon, who was looking down at his egg with a serious expression on one side.
Leon entered a state of vigilance as soon as his eyes met Radel’s.
While doing so, he glared at Radel as if to kill him.
‘If Armandy tipped me off, it is certain that Leon is following me.’
Radel became curious about the reason Leon was acting like that.
Considering what he heard from Senior Rauf too, he did seem to want to say something to him.
Radel approached Leon abruptly and asked.
“Is it perhaps because you want to apologize to me?”
Hearing those words, Leon’s expression crumpled.
Is he crazy?
However, at Radel’s following words, Leon was left speechless.
“Because no matter how I think about it, that’s the only reason you follow me around.”
He noticed I was following him?
Leon’s eyebrow twitched minutely.
He was someone who believed without a doubt that his tailing was perfect.
He hid his footsteps with soundproofing magic, covered his shadow with magic, and used illusion magic to hide himself when unavoidable.
However, it was impossible for Leon, who wasn’t even an assassin, to hide his presence perfectly.
Especially to Radel, who had become accustomed to the employees of the Dice Shop who had no presence, Leon’s presence was something he could feel even with his eyes closed.
‘I must stay calm. That guy has no evidence.’
Leon hardened his expression.
He didn’t know how he knew, but he couldn’t obediently admit the fact of tailing.
He could absolutely not reveal that he tailed him to find out that stupid guy’s inner thoughts!
Leon opened his mouth to deny the fact with a stiff expression.
“Don’t make me laugh. Who would follow a vulgar…… like you!”
“Huh? Wait. Leon, you got something on here?”
The moment Leon was about to speak, Radel, seeing something on his clothes, reached out his hand.
It was a pure intention to brush off dust.
However, to Leon, that gesture aroused a needless misunderstanding.
It was because of the conversation he heard while tailing that lacking guy.
Something about taking off someone’s clothes, making them take it off themselves.
Words that flowed out fluently as if he had taken them off before.
That conversation which was vulgar beyond compare!
The conversation that remained as a trauma to Leon came to mind in an instant.
Thanks to that, Leon flinched in surprise and ended up slapping Radel’s arm away.
SLAP!
“Don’t touch my body! How dare this shameless guy try to take off someone else’s clothes……!”
It was an action that came out of instinctive repulsion, but Leon became flustered realizing he had said unnecessary words.
While Leon froze at the reaction that came out unwittingly, Radel’s eyes became round.
The conversation about taking off clothes was clearly the content that came out when discussing with friends how to find the Mark of Heresy.
It is certain that Leon was tailing me.
Radel grinned and said to Leon.
“Ah, you heard me discussing with my friends? You have a lot of interest in me?”
“Don’t say funny things.”
Interest, what interest.
Leon trembled and kept a straight face.
That guy was a crazy guy!