The Obsessive Regressor of The Academy

14. Academy?(3)

The night sky of Wiheim was more beautiful than anywhere else on the continent.

Countless stars were made even more vivid by Saint-level magic, and floating islands drifted across the night sky, scattering radiance. Starlight flowed everywhere, and magic swelled. A sight that anyone, mage or otherwise, could appreciate.

It wasn’t as if one could simply waltz in for tourism, yet the city was famed for just that.

So very mystical, the place where mages dwelled.

Though he’d grown somewhat accustomed to it, Asel still found himself fond of Weihim’s night sky. Of course, there was no reason not to be. Ena, too, seemed to share the sentiment, perched on the edge of her bed, gaze lifted towards the heavens beyond the window.

Each year, for roughly ten days after the start of the new year, Weihim played host to a festival. The Night of Mages, they called it, a peculiar affair that permitted mages of every stripe to unleash their magic freely within the city, save for acts of destruction.

Thus, the distant streets shimmered not with darkness, but with vibrant, kaleidoscopic light.

A high mage must have made an appearance; a long dragon formed of smoke writhed in the sky, atop which a mage with a long pipe sat, smiling. Parnin freely soared through the air, carrying contractors, while jewel sorcerers and elementalists unleashed fireworks of every magical kind.

Ena watched the spectacle in silence, then, seeing a crowd gathered around the lightning rod installed for her sake, she flicked her fingers. She readily granted them what they desired.

[Lightning Strike]

KWA-BoooM!!

Pure white thunder hammered down on every part of the lightning rod. A lightning strike, modified to adjust its potency and deployed in volleys. Mages, feeling the echoes of that chilling destruction, cheered and turned their gazes toward Ena’s mansion. Ena, chin propped on her hand, dismissed their gazes of respect and awe.

Just then, someone knocked on her door.

“Master.”

It was Asel. Ena responded at once.

“Enter.”

“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

With permission granted, Asel gingerly opened the door and stepped into Ena’s room.

He’d been in and out countless times, yet the room always struck him as austere. A bed sat alone in the corner, and grimoires and artifacts were scattered across the desk. Other than that, there was nothing particularly notable. There was a clothes rack, but even that was less than half full.

Far too barren a room to belong to a woman. Still, Asel thought it perfectly suited Ena as he approached her.

“Sit.”

Ena said, glancing sidelong at Asel. Asel offered a wry smile and sat beside her.

There was a slight gap between them. Ena frowned and patted the spot right next to her.

“Sit here.”

“…Isn’t that a bit too close?”

“What does it matter?”

I suppose not.

Asel scratched his head and sat where she indicated. Ena, satisfied that he was settled, turned her gaze back to the window. Asel, too, watched the festival unfolding in the streets.

They fell into a moment of silence. But it wasn’t awkward. Neither Asel nor Ena were particularly talkative, so their tongues didn’t itch to speak. They merely gazed outwards in comfortable peace.

How long had passed like that? Ena, gazing at a huge blue jewel emblazoned across the sky, finally spoke.

“Do you wish to go to the academy?”

Ena’s way of speaking, going straight to the point without any preamble. He was used to it, so he wasn’t taken aback. Asel gave a wry smile and nodded slightly.

“I didn’t think it was a bad proposal. To be honest… I do want to go.”

“Why?”

“As you know, Master, to truly achieve something in magic, one must leave Wihyeim and experience the world. You understand how different magical achievements gained through theory are from those earned through practical experience, don’t you?”

There was no reply. Ena was still looking out the window, but her eyes were fixed on Asel’s reflection in the glass.

“The Academy is a unique place in that it offers both theory and practice. Of course, it’s not the same as throwing oneself into the thick of things, but it’s also less dangerous. It has its advantages.”

“…”

“And… eventually, I would have left this place anyway. As I said, experiencing the world is beneficial to a mage’s growth. Even if it wasn’t the Academy, I would have certainly belonged somewhere. I have no intention of settling in my current position.”

It was a statement delivered with firm resolve. Asel looked directly at Ena, and Ena, with a sigh, turned her head towards him.

“I’ll be honest. When I first took you in, I didn’t think much about the future. But as time went on, as your talent blossomed and you achieved results so quickly, my greed grew.”

“…”

“I want to watch over you more. I want to see with my own eyes how far you can go. I want to connect with mages who have studied the same type of magic as me. I want to witness the unique magic and imagery you will develop in the future. I’ve had these thoughts for a while now.”

“Those are all things you can still do.”

“If you stay by my side, that’s true.”

Ena gave a wry smile and held Asel’s hand tightly.

“As a mage, I know how important it is to experience the world. I wandered the continent for a while myself, and I participated in wars and demon hunts. I know how those experiences influenced my magic and imagery. You also need to have the same kind of experience.”

“…”

“But… the human heart is a strange thing. When I think about the dangerous things I went through, I also don’t want you to go through those things. I sometimes wonder if we could just stay here, research magic, and gain practical experience through occasional sparring.”

“…Master.”

“My disciple. When did you burrow so deep into my heart?”

Ena said softly, stroking Asel’s hair.

“I know it’s selfish. So, I won’t complain. Do what you want. Not as Ena the person, but as Gae Byeok (開闢) the master, I give you my permission.”

“…”

“If your decision is made according to your own will, then I have no reason to interfere. I called you here to tell you this.”

“Is that so.”

Asel chuckled and tightened his grip on Ena’s hand.

“Thank you. For respecting my decision.”

“It’s only natural. There’s no need to thank me. I should be the one apologizing. Did I make too much of a fuss earlier?”

“It’s alright. It was cute. You looked like a puppy getting angry, small but fierce.”

[Discharge of Lightning]

*Fzzzt.*

A faint arc of lightning sparked from the tips of Ena’s fingers where they gripped Asel’s hand. Asel winced slightly at the tingling shock.

“Ugh.”

“That’s for teasing me. Savor it.”

Ena said this and then sprang to her feet.

“This story ends now. Until the Academy starts, let’s just enjoy ourselves.”

Asel, still clutching his slightly numb hand, chuckled softly and nodded.

“Then, would you perhaps care to join me at the festival tomorrow?”

“…Festival?”

“Irina mentioned you’ve never attended one. So, how about we go together this time? Tomorrow’s the last day.”

Ena considered it for a moment, then gave a small laugh, tapping Asel’s forehead with a fingertip.

“Alright.”

*

The next day.

Past midnight, Ena and Asel emerged onto the streets of Wiheim together. Asel wore a simple shirt and pants, while Ena had used a magical tool to change her hair to black. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself.

“It’s hard to enjoy yourself if people keep saying hello all the time.”

A fair point. Asel smiled and walked alongside her through the night. Everywhere they went, mages of considerable skill appeared, showing off their magic and captivating the eyes of passersby. Asel and Ena stopped before a handsome gem sorcerer to watch his display.

“Gem Sorcery Demonstration! Secret Technique! Diamond Shower!”

He smiled brightly and scattered gems into the air. The clear diamonds glowed brilliantly, then broke down into fine dust, creating a shimmering blizzard. Magic with no practical use, purely for visual delight. Asel gasped in admiration at the beautiful swirl of gems.

“Do electromancers also have magic this lovely?”

“Nope. Our magic’s all about killing things.”

“What a pity.”

“You make some and show me, then.”

Ena said, grinning, and walked on ahead. Asel followed her.

At a nearby stall, they bought a decently sized chicken skewer. Ena, with her small appetite, couldn’t eat much, so she ate about half and handed the rest to Asel. He finished off both his share and what Ena had left behind without complaint.

As they were watching the mages, a massive shadow fell across the sky. Looking up, they saw a floating island moving slowly, scattering rain imbued with mana.

Liquid that wouldn’t wet you when it landed, a substance that could be shaped according to a mage’s will.

An excellent medium often used in experiments, and a favorite of spirits. As if to prove it, the spirits that clung to spirit mages flew up, laughing gleefully as they bathed in the rain falling from the sky.

Spirits of all shapes, sizes, and colors danced in the sky, creating a beautiful aura of light. Even the strange bird, Farnin, that he had seen when he first came to Wiheim was buried in that light.

“Yaaa! Farnin! We have to go prepare for our next event! No time to be doing this here! We already got the down payment, if we back out I have to pay it all back!”

[Quiet, contractor. More importantly… hm, this water is terrible today. Ask them to mix in some lava.]

“aaahhh!!”

The spirit mage atop Farnir tore at her hair, screaming.

Sierra von Kleier, a flame mage belonging to the Ignis Magic Tower, and a genius who had mastered spirit magic. Though they’d never spoken, she was famous within Weiheim as an eccentric, known for both her pyromania and her love of spirits. Thanks to that, Acel had heard her name often.

“Should we say hello?”

“Don’t. Everyone’s pretending not to see her.”

Listening to Ena, he glanced around, and indeed, every passerby was averting their gaze as if they hadn’t noticed Sierra. Confirming this, Acel followed their lead and extinguished his own curiosity toward her.

“Is there anywhere else you’d like to go?”

“Hmm… not really. Let’s just walk.”

Ena said this and began to stroll forward at a leisurely pace. Acel kept pace with her, and then spotted a street vendor nearby, his eyes lighting up. He told Ena he would be right back after using the restroom, then darted towards the stall.

The stall’s owner was a hunched-over old man. He was selling accessories imbued with simple magic, and Acel pointed to a brooch set with a sapphire among them.

“How much is this?”

“Five silver coins. Do you know what magic it holds?”

“Yes. Isn’t it luck?”

“Oh ho. You have a good eye. For someone who recognizes the magic, it’s only one silver coin.”

“Thank you!”

Acel handed the old man a single silver coin and took the brooch. Ena, who had been sitting on a nearby bench, swinging her legs as she watched the people, spotted him and stood up.

“You’re back?”

“Yes. More importantly, Master. This is a gift.”

“……? A gift?”

Ena tilted her head. Acel grinned and offered Ena the brooch he held.

A sapphire brooch, the same colour as her eyes. It wasn’t particularly high-quality, but Ena stared down at the brooch resting in her palm with a blank expression.

“I thought it would suit you, Master.”

“…….”

“…… Perhaps, you don’t like it?”

Acel scratched the back of his head, misinterpreting Ena’s silence. Ena immediately shook her head, clutched the brooch tightly, and drew it to her chest.

“No, I like it. Very much.”

She looked at Acel, her face alight with a bright smile.

“Thank you, Acel.”

It was the brightest smile Ena had ever shown.