Avoiding Death in an Otome Game

By the time I reached teacher Albert’s office, it is already about evening.

I knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

I opened it “Good afternoon, Teacher Albert.”

That spirit clara is not here today which is good because her enthusiasm sometimes throws me off. I wonder how teacher Albert handle it given his own introvert personality.

I took the chair opposite teacher Albert and waited.

This was probably going to be my final proper lesson regarding Memory Backtrack.

After today, he had already made it clear that I would need to practice the spell myself.

He placed the thin grey-covered book on the desk “Let’s begin.”

The next hour passed entirely in practice.

Albert gave instructions whenever I made an incorrect adjustment, and I followed them carefully, repeatedly entering the mental space where I had been attempting to construct the separate section required by Memory Backtrack.

The spell was not difficult because of the amount of mana it required. The difficult part was precision.

I had to understand the structure of my mental sea well enough to create a stable distinction between ordinary memory and the information I intended to preserve.

The first few attempts had been clumsy.

The process felt less like casting a normal spell and more like trying to reorganize something that had never been designed to be touched directly.

But with teacher Albert correcting each mistake, the structure gradually became clearer.

Eventually, something clicked.

I could feel the difference. The spell was not merely about remembering something better.

It was about creating a place where a memory could exist without being gradually distorted by everything that came afterward.

That distinction was important.

Teacher Albert observed my final attempt before giving a small nod.

“That is enough.”

I opened my eyes.

“Did I do it correctly?”

“You understand the fundamentals now.”

I relaxed slightly “How long until I can actually use it reliably?”

“That depends on your dedication.”

Albert closed the book “If you practice properly every day, you should begin seeing real results within one or two months.”

I nodded “Understood.”

There was still a considerable amount of work ahead of me, but at least the difficult part of understanding the spell itself was mostly finished.

“Thank you for teaching me.”

Albert waved his hand dismissively.

“You have done most of the work yourself.”

I was about to stand when another thought occurred to me.

“There is one more thing I had like to ask you about, if you don’t mind.”

Albert looked at me “What is it?”

“It is about Spirit Hawks.”

That caught his attention.

I explained everything that had happened at the auction, including how Elena and I had purchased them, how we had contracted with them, and how we were planning to raise them.

Albert listened without interrupting.

When I finished, he remained silent for several seconds before speaking.

“You should be careful about making contracts with Spirit Beasts.”

Hearing that my expression did not change but internally, however, I grimaced.

*Did I make a mistake?*

Albert continued before I could ask.

“A magic user’s contracts are not unlimited. There is a practical limit to how many Spirit Beasts a person can contract with, and depending on the nature of the contract, taking one unnecessarily step can interfere with future opportunities.”

That was something I had not considered.

I had assumed that if the opportunity appeared, there was little reason not to take it. Apparently, there was considerably more involved.

Fortunately, Albert’s next words eased my concern “However, the Spirit Hawks were actually a fairly good choice for you and Elena.”

I looked at him “Really?”

“Yes.”

He folded his hands on the desk.

“You both possess considerably more talent than the average student, so ordinary Spirit Beasts may eventually struggle to keep up with your growth in terms of raw combat strength.”

That was exactly what Elena and I had discussed.

“But strength is not the greatest advantage of Spirit Hawks. Their greatest advantage is surveillance.”

I listened carefully.

“Their eyesight is exceptionally sharp, far beyond what an ordinary human mage can achieve. They can detect movement from considerable distances, identify changes in their surroundings, and observe areas that would be difficult for a mage to monitor directly. More importantly, they can camouflage themselves within wind currents.”

My eyebrows rose slightly. This is a new information to me.

“That makes them considerably harder to detect. For reconnaissance, tracking, and surveillance, that ability can be extremely valuable, especially if you are operating somewhere where openly sending a mage would attract attention.”

I glanced down at my hand “I had not even considered using them that way.”

“You probably will once you understand what they can actually do.”

Then teacher Albert added something that immediately caught my attention “Of course, you will not be able to make full use of those abilities immediately.”

“Why?”

“Because you have not learned Sense Sharing.”

*Oh right, Sense Sharing.*

I had heard the term before.

My first assumption had always been that it was an ability exclusive to tamers, particularly because tamers had specialized techniques for sharing senses with their contracted creatures.

But Albert’s wording suggested otherwise.

He must have shown my confusion because he continued.

“Are you wondering whether only tamers can use it?”

I nodded “Yes.”

“That assumption is understandable, but incorrect.”

Albert explained that Sense Sharing was indeed commonly associated with tamer magic, because tamers could perform it more naturally and with considerably fewer restrictions, but contracted Spirit Beasts were fundamentally different from ordinary magical beasts.

“A contracted Spirit Beast has an established connection with its contractor,” he explained. “That connection can eventually become strong enough to transmit sensory information in both directions.”

“So I can share senses with the hawk?”

“Eventually.”

His emphasis on that word was clear.

“Do not assume the contract itself is enough. You still need to establish trust with your Spirit Beast and strengthen the bond between you.”

“Once it trusts you enough to permit the connection, Sense Sharing becomes possible.”

“And after that?”

“You will be able to see through its eyes and potentially perceive what it hears, depending on how far your technique develops.”

That was far more useful than I had expected.

Aeris could potentially scout an entire area while remaining almost invisible within the wind. If I could receive her senses directly, her usefulness would increase considerably.

“There is another thing you should work on,” Albert said.

“What?”

“Establishing your mental sea structurally.”

I again looked back in confusion. Honestly my knowledge seems very shallow whenever I visit him.

“You will eventually want your Spirit Beast to be able to reside within your mental sea.”

“Is not that something that requires the Grand Mage realm?”

I had always assumed that was something only Grand Mages could accomplish.

Teacher Albert shook his head.

“No.” That answer again surprised me.

“The requirement is not the realm itself. You need a sufficiently large mental sea, and more importantly, it needs to be stable enough that the movements of another living consciousness will not disrupt its structure.”

“So the size and stability are the actual requirements.”

“Correct.”

I thought about my current mental strength.

It is already at Peak Spirit Lake but there does not seems to be any big improvement since then.

“Of course, doing this is not easy,” Albert continued. “Most young magic users do not have a mental sea stable enough for it, and attempting it prematurely can cause serious problems.”

I nodded.

“But with your mental strength, I think you may be able to establish it by your third year.”

“Third year?”

“Assuming your mental strength continues developing at its current pace. But your bond with your Spirit Beast also needs to be strong enough by then.”

“I understand.” I said that but it might actually be the more difficult part.

Building a stable mental sea was something I could work on through training.

Trust, however, could not be forced. Especially not with a creature whose entire life had revolved around protecting her child.

Still, I was not in a hurry.

“Thank you, Teacher.”

I did not actually expected to receive so many important pointers.

“Are you wondering why I am helping you?” Teacher Albert asked.

*What is this mind reading technique?*

I nodded without saying that.

“That is because you are talented. But there is another reason. Actually Principal Alfred specifically asked me to help you.”

I paused “Principal Alfred?”

Teacher Albert nodded “Yes.”

That was unexpected “Why does Principal Alfred want to help me?”

Then a sudden possibility came to mind “is it because of the competition next year?”

Teacher Albert’s expression suggested that I have guessed correctly “Exactly.”

The academy’s competition next year had already been mentioned several times, but I had not fully considered how important it might be from the academy’s perspective.

Teacher Albert explained “The competition next year is not merely another student event. It is extremely important to the academy, and it matters to the kingdom as well.”

He looked directly at me.

“Your performance during the terrorist attack, your strength, your reputation, and your background have already made you one of the students the academy values.”

I sighed internally.

*So that is what this is about.*

“Elena will be participating too,” Albert continued. “Her talent is equally remarkable, and after what happened recently, her reputation has also grown considerably.”

That part was hardly surprising.

“The academy has high expectations for both of you,” Albert said. “In fact, the expectations are not limited to you two. Your entire batch is valued highly.”

It made sense.

It was the same in the game as well, it was supposed to be an event which makes the heroine Hina shine and earn recognition not only in the academy but throughout the kingdom.

Though there was no big or dangerous incident that happens there during the game but the changed timeline is not following the game and it makes me a little scared.