110 — Seemingly Ordinary Days

1

The next day.

A large bulletin board was posted in the school lobby.

One of the major events at the academy, the 1st-year student council president election, was in full swing.

The candidate application period had ended, and the interview process had narrowed down the list.

Three candidates from each class.

A total of nine names were displayed prominently on the large bulletin board.

Manus glanced over the list and nodded.

‘Nothing unusual with the lineup.’

The key figures were ‘Castro’ and ‘Duarin’ from the Eagle class, and ‘Anais’ and ‘Kael’ from the Serpent class.

Duarin.

He had known Anais for quite some time.

His swordsmanship skills were exceptional for someone his age.

Aiming for the level of a 2nd-year, or even a 3rd-year, wasn’t out of reach for him.

‘Come to think of it—’

There would soon be news.

The Eresis would also be preparing for the night of the full moon.

Coincidentally, there was an external evaluation next week.

The day would come again where the students had to carry out missions for a week.

Opportunities and time would present themselves naturally.

How those opportunities were used was entirely up to him.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, did you call for me, Young Master?”

Manus called over a maid standing in the lobby.

At his request for paper and a pen, the maid quickly pulled them out from her apron pocket.

Manus scribbled down a brief message.

If it was Invidea, she would understand the intent of his letter.

His mother also seemed to have some influence in the social circles.

If he used that to his advantage, he might be able to reduce the damage more than expected.

“Deliver this to the Caesar family.”

“Understood, Young Master.”

The maid bowed and quietly walked away.

With the name Caesar attached, the letter would certainly be delivered properly.

Manus looked back up at the bulletin board.

There was a sparring match with the assistant today, and at the end of the week, the competition to decide the student council president would take place.

It was a chance to gauge how much Anais and Kael had grown, and to measure the strength of other characters.

Especially Kael’s destined rival.

‘It might be a good idea to cut them down early—’

The presence of a rival was a cliché that often led to the protagonist’s awakening.

Manus had no intention of meddling with such important key characters lightly.

If the rival were a character who committed massacres or killed innocent people, he would have taken them out without mercy.

But Kael’s rival had a certain level of good influence.

There was no need to interfere; things would flow naturally.

[Growl—!]

Beside him, Albion nudged him with its tail.

It was the first time Albion had gone out since transforming into a pure white dragon.

It seemed to be fascinated by all the new things around, constantly looking around and enjoying the attention from students, as well as the fresh air of the outside world.

Albion’s gaze turned to someone approaching them.

A man with a ponytail, who looked quite impressive.

He had the appearance of a full-grown adult and wore round glasses.

“Ah, hello. Are you a student here?”

“Yes, I am.”

He seemed a bit scatterbrained and didn’t give off a very trustworthy impression.

With a hearty laugh, he posed a question to Manus.

“That’s good to hear. I’m Trevor, the new history professor. Could you tell me where the chairman’s office is?”

“It’s on the 55th floor.”

“Oh, I see. Thank you. I suppose I’ll see you in class soon. Looking forward to it.”

He casually extended his hand.

Manus glanced at Trevor’s hand before lightly shaking it.

“Well then, I’ll be off—”

Trevor scurried away.

Since Professor Mia had died inside the tower, a new history professor had to be appointed.

It seemed they had found a suitable candidate after searching around.

Perhaps because he had been killed prematurely, or maybe it was just a whim.

Or, if not that, was it due to the altered timeline caused by the shift in world lines?

He hadn’t seen this face in the original storyline.

‘Not that it’s strange. There must be countless people on the continent qualified to teach history—’

Manus dismissed the thought and continued walking toward his class.

Coincidentally, he had a history class that morning, so he would get a chance to see Trevor’s skills firsthand.

The hallways were already buzzing with excitement.

The atmosphere was lively and vibrant.

The faces of the students, chattering away, seemed unusually bright.

Manus observed their expressions and quietly enjoyed the atmosphere.

“Wow… I wish I could watch too.”

The familiar boy caught his eye.

The boy with the dual swords strapped to his waist was distinctive.

Still, not a single person seemed to notice him.

Could he be a ghost?

Manus pushed aside the question that popped into his mind.

A boy he hadn’t encountered in the original story.

It would be best if this boy didn’t become a variable.

‘But… perhaps I should keep an eye on him.’

“Senior! Hello!”

An energetic voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

A group of 1st-year students, reuniting for the first time in a while, approached him in a clamor.

Manus nodded with a faint smile.

Anais spotted the white dragon and let out a squeal.

Albion.

Her partner who had endured hardships alongside her for three days.

Anais’s affection for Albion was evident, treating him like a dear friend.

“Albion! You finally came out! Oh, how have you been?”

[Growl—!]

Albion, recognizing her, nuzzled her head affectionately.

Seeing the closeness between them, the other 1st-year students were left gaping.

Wait, since when was she on such friendly terms with Manus’s familiar?

Surprised, Pearson quickly approached Albion, asking cautiously.

In the past, even during Albion’s cotton candy days, Pearson had almost been bitten by him.

The memory still lingered as a vivid trauma for Pearson.

“W-What’s going on? How are you so close to Albion? When did you get that close?!”

“You have no idea how much we went through together. Right, Albion?”

[Snort!]

Albion nodded.

Watching them show off their closeness, Kael pursed her lips slightly.

‘As I thought, I was right. She must have gone up the tower during those three days—’

She felt a twinge of resentment toward her friend, but she could understand.

Anais had been looking for her own way to survive.

That made her even more curious.

Just how strong had Anais become?

Had she surpassed her?

With Pearson still grumbling, Kael’s lips slightly downturned, Anais trembling with excitement, and Melanie smiling warmly as she observed, everything finally seemed to be back in place.

It felt reassuring to see things return to normal.

However, in this world, once one incident ended, another would soon begin.

“Hey, everyone, how’s it going?”

“Oh, Senior Nia.”

Nia waved as she entered the lobby.

The 1st-year students recognized her and greeted her with a polite nod.

Everyone naturally treated the 3rd-year senior with familiarity.

But Manus sensed something different in the air around her.

It was an inexplicable feeling, but something had undeniably changed.

Manus watched her for a moment, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

The people greeting her were as usual, and Nia herself interacted with them as she always had.

“Today’s the student council president election, right? Good luck, both of you.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Who should I cheer for? I don’t want to be hated, so I’ll root for both of you, okay?”

Seeing the two of them smile, Nia turned her head toward Manus.

She still had the wary gaze of a cat, her eyes shining with caution.

Her eyes remained filled with distrust toward Manus.

For those who can’t trust, no words will ever reach them.

Even kind words would be distorted in their minds.

Manus didn’t bother to say anything.

Eventually, his actions would speak for themselves, and there would come a time when they would be rightfully understood.

“No matter what the outcome, don’t hold grudges against each other.”

“Yes. We already agreed on that.”

Kael smiled brightly, nodding.

At that moment, Manus noticed her neatly trimmed bob haircut.

He studied her briefly before turning away.

“It suits you.”

With that simple remark, Kael’s smile grew even wider.

“Hey! Are you just going to ignore me completely?! That’s really too much!”

Of course, there were always those who wavered between interest and suspicion.

2

Lately, Manus had been deeply engrossed in his elemental studies.

Though the professors of martial magic and summoning magic eyed him with interest, the essence and foundation of a mage lay in elemental magic, after all.

Driven by his desire to break through the barriers, Manus had even started taking notes, something he never used to do, stuffing theories into his head.

Elemental studies encompassed far more theories than he had anticipated.

No matter how talented the Caesars were, a few months would never be enough to fully grasp centuries of accumulated knowledge.

Even with vast knowledge at his disposal, without the will to use it, it would remain merely as layered information.

‘I shouldn’t just think of this as a game.’

The complex interweaving of magic formulas, the theory of channeling mana into them.

The manifestation of will, understanding, and contact with the elements.

There were still many vast theories that built the world.

The 5th class.

A realm said to be beyond human reach.

Of course, if you searched every corner of the continent, you would find many who could use 5th-class magic.

All of them were regarded as masters, able to secure a high-ranking position wherever they went.

‘It’s just that the characters in the game are abnormally strong.’

Currently, Manus was struggling to surpass that barrier.

Invidea mentioned that she could wield 5th-class magic by the age of twenty.

Tyrannis was said to have mastered 5th-class magic at the age of twenty-one.

They didn’t have a system, nor did they receive skill bonuses.

Since he was benefiting from such advantages, at the very least, he should be faster than them.

His personal goal was to master 5th-class magic before entering his third year.

Even now, he could probably force it if he had to.

‘But using it freely in the tower doesn’t mean you’ve mastered it.’

To skillfully wield magic at the brink of death.

That was Manus’s first priority for a mage’s essential qualities.

Professor Trail was passionately pouring out knowledge, and Manus absorbed everything.

“Alright, that’s it for today. I have a brief assignment for you all.”

The students’ eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Professor Trail’s assignments always required deep thought.

Nia, who had been daydreaming, snapped to attention and hurriedly began to take notes.

Though she believed there was no way this could be true, and although she dismissed it as a coincidence, she still felt it was wise to be prepared, so her pen moved swiftly.

Today’s assignment was to explain why two specific elements couldn’t be combined.

“Sometimes, what we take for granted can challenge our way of thinking. I hope you can free yourselves from fixed ideas.”

He added a final remark.

That mages were beings of creation.

That they should twist the existing laws and create new magic.

For some reason, those words resonated deeply with Manus.

–TL Notes–
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading

Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt