The Obsessive Regressor of The Academy

28. Atop the Lightning Flower (3) (Edited on 02/14)

Having confirmed Ena’s presence, there was no time for hesitation.

Asel immediately told Plume that he would accompany her, and after composing herself, she started moving swiftly. Asel followed close behind.

The Academy’s main building stood in the city’s heart. Though it was still vacation, and not many students remained inside, a few who lived in the dormitories were still about. Female students sitting on a bench, murmuring quietly to each other, tilted their heads as they saw Plume rushing past.

“Professor Plume? Where are you hurrying to? And did you happen to see that lightning just now?”

“Later, I’ll explain later!”

Plume brushed aside their questions and dashed into the Academy building. Assistant professors and supporting staff preparing for the semester greeted her, but she merely radiated an aura of busyness instead of replying, as she bolted to the upper floors. Their expressions turned sheepish as a result.

For Plume, there was no other choice. She hadn’t met Ena personally, but she had often heard rumors of her temperament.

A monster who frequented demon subjugations and labyrinth explorations, trading morality and humanity to drastically increase the power of her magic. A cold-blooded killer with no hesitation, incapable of forming attachments. A superhuman who prioritized violence over communication.

The Dean spoke of Ena in such terms, and Plume’s perception of Ena had naturally turned negative.

“No…!”

Such a person was in the same place as the Dean. Freide was a powerful mage, certainly, but not on a level where she could compete with Ena. She would be roasted into a crisp before she even knew what happened. She had to prevent that at all costs.

“Dean!”

She’d reached the top floor before she knew it. Plume, without hesitation, flung open the Headmaster’s office door and charged inside.

“Run, quick! I think… I?”

Plume had shouted that much, but then her words trailed off as she took in the scene before her.

“…?”

The uninvited guest was just as she’d expected. A girl with snow-white hair, dressed in a pristine white shirt and a black skirt—an unfamiliar face—sipped tea, glancing sideways at Plume. With that pure white hair and those blue eyes, it had to be Enna. Beautiful as a doll, yet just as chillingly aloof.

Across from her sat the Headmaster, beads of sweat trickling down his face, perched in a posture of meekness. He seemed uninjured, but his discomfort was trying to claw its way through his plastered-on smile.

In the corner, Fernand was face down on the floor, prostrate.

By any measure, it was a scene of blatant abuse of power. Not exactly a positive situation, but much better than the bloodbath Plume had been anticipating. Still, it would take a moment to fully grasp the situation and figure out how to defuse it.

“Who’s this?”

Enna asked, breaking into Plume’s thoughts. Plume’s internal debate was forcibly cut short. Startled, she blurted out,

“Y-yes! I’m Plume! Assistant professor in the Department of Magics, and I assist the Headmaster!”

“Is that so?”

Enna replied with a lackluster tone, placing her teacup on the table. Then, in a voice as cold as ice, she spat towards the trembling Fernand,

“One more twitch and I’ll shove lightning straight into your skull.”

As if by magic, Fernand’s trembling ceased. He remained motionless, face-down, until he saw Acel’s face following Plume. He mouthed something, his lips moving silently. Though no sound came out, Acel could read his lips perfectly.

[Help me.]

Acel’s face darkened.

“Acel.”

Following Fernand, Enna turned to Acel and spoke. Acel met her gaze.

“Master.”

“Yes. How have you been?”

“I’m doing well, thank you. More importantly, what brings you here, Master…?”

He asked out of courtesy, though he already knew. Thankfully, Enna rose from her seat without a hint of suspicion and replied,

“I heard you collapsed. I was worried.”

“Worried? You were just threatening to execute me and Fernand a moment ago?”

Enna lightly disregarded Friede’s words and approached Acel.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Ah, I’m fine. No lasting effects either.”

“Mana depletion is not something to simply laugh off.”

Enna dismissed Acel’s flippancy and began to slowly, meticulously, examine his body.

Massaging her arm, she channeled mana through her body, then swept her fingers across her torso. A procedure to ensure neither the core nor her physical form suffered any ill effects. To ascertain the condition of another mage, physical contact was essential.

“……”

Acel knew this, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit self-conscious at her touch. It wouldn’t matter if they were alone, but doing this in such a public space made him feel rather conspicuous. Friede, right now, stared as if she were seeing a ghost, and Plume, her hands covering her mouth, was trembling with wide eyes.

“Th-Teacher?”

“Hm? What is it?”

“……Nothing. Let me know when you’re done checking.”

Acel almost suggested she stop, but seeing Ena’s pure gaze, he swallowed a wry smile and gave up.

‘She’s checking out of goodwill, it would embarrass her if I told her to stop.’

In the end, the physical assessment went on for another ten minutes. Ena nodded in satisfaction, removing her hands from Acel’s body. Her face slightly flushed, she said,

“Seems alright. Everything’s in order.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Indeed a relief.”

Friede blurted out with sincere fervor. Ena, however, paid her no mind. Instead, she picked up a cookie and, nibbling it, looked at Friede.

“Amusing, is it?”

“……No, why are you saying things so menacingly…”

“Since Acel seems to be fine, I’ll withdraw for today. But keep one thing in mind. If something like this happens again within the academy, it won’t end so easily. Either you die, or the academy shuts down. Remember it.”

“……Aren’t you being a bit too protective?”

“What?”

“I understand, she answered.”

Friede grinned as she said that. Ena clicked her tongue and stood up.

“You, get up too.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Fernan jumped to his feet. Judging by the distinct red mark on his forehead, he must have been kneeling for quite some time. Acel looked at him with pity before Ena patted his shoulder and rose to her feet.

“Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?”

“Home.”

There was no time to answer. Ena and Acel instantly became a streak of lightning, vanishing from the headmaster’s office. The backlash of their departure shook the room considerably, but Friede, paying it no mind, sighed in relief and leaned back in her chair.

“Survived another day……”

“You make it sound like you went to war.”

Fernan muttered softly, dusting off his clothes. Friede retorted towards him.

“Shut it. If you’d kept things reasonable from the start, none of this would have happened. What professor uses Mind Opening on exam participants, anyway? I told you specifically to only influence them enough to rank the results! You’ve truly lost your mind. Consider yourself docked pay.”

“Huh? Where’s the law that says that! I only did as I was told! And if you’re going to punish me, just give me a suspension! At least let me rest!”

“Too many places to exploit your talent. Let’s work cheaply for the next six months.”

“The old elf has no understanding of the human heart!”

“Still young, you are.”

“Seven hundred years old is young? In that case, all the young and supple elves must be newborns!”

“Goo goo.”

“Son of a….”

Ploom shook his head, listening to the antics of the two men, whose combined age exceeded 740.

*

Asel still couldn’t use the magic to transform his body into lightning. But with Ena’s assistance, the story changed. If she cast the spell in his stead, and Asel projected the mana, it was possible to manifest the magic, albeit at half its power. A delegated incantation, a common practice among master and apprentice mages who used the same type of magic.

Thanks to this, the journey from the academy to Weiheim was quite pleasant. There was no need to ride in a carriage, nor to sleep outdoors. Instead, their speed was slower than if Ena were moving alone, so they needed to stop in villages along the way and spend the night in inns.

Today was the second of those days. The second night since leaving the academy. Asel rested his chin on the window of their lodging, gazing outside.

Schupen, a town too small to be called a city, but one that sustained itself through cheap tourism built around a large lake.

Perhaps due to its reputation as a tourist destination, many people were milling about in the short distance. Guards clad in chainmail could be seen here and there, and merchants lined the streets, hawking their wares.

The room was worth the expensive price, as he could see the entire town from its window. Asel smiled faintly, quietly admiring the night sky reflected in the lake. He quite enjoyed the quiet and contemplative atmosphere.

“I’m done washing.”

As she spoke, Ena emerged from the bath, shaking her head. She put on the haphazardly folded shirt and pants, and used magic to remove the moisture from her body. Then, she came to Asel’s side and peeked out the window.

“What were you looking at?”

“I was admiring the constellations reflected in the lake.”

“You like constellations?”

“Yes. I rather enjoy them. Sometimes I watch them alone.”

“Hmm… is that so?”

Ena pursed her lips and uttered those words, then sat down right next to Asel.

“Then, will you teach me? About the constellations.”

“Would that be alright?”

“Yes. It’s something my disciple likes, so I should take an interest.”

Asel laughed at Ena’s words and pointed a finger at the sky. He wasn’t an expert on constellations either, so he didn’t know a great deal, but he could at least give a simple explanation. What the name of the brightest star was, which constellations shone brightest at this time of year. Asel spoke in a quiet voice next to Ena, smiling.

Just as the explanation was almost finished, Ena cautiously opened her mouth.

“Um… Asel.”

“Pardon?”

“Now that things have turned out this way, shall we see each other outside?”

“Ah… Isn’t it a bit late for that? I should be settling down to sleep soon if I want to arrive early tomorrow.”

The current time was 11 PM. In order to reach Weiheim before tomorrow evening, one needed to be in bed by midnight at the very least. Surely, Ena wasn’t unaware of this fact. Asel wondered internally why she was making such a suggestion.

“…Indeed?”

A slight hint of disappointment flickered across Ena’s face. Asel found his answer in that expression.

The New Year’s festival they had explored together in Weiheim. It seemed that the memory of that time remained a cherished one. And so, now that they could wander about without any concerns, she wished to spend time together.

Asel, too, desired the same. While arriving in Weiheim quickly was certainly welcome, his memories with Ena were of greater importance. Unless she had urgent business in Weiheim, there was no need to rush. So thinking, Asel reached out and grasped Ena’s hand as she moved to rise.

“Asel?”

She turned her head, her gaze meeting Asel’s. He grinned and, holding her hand, helped her to her feet.

“But personally, I would like to walk with you tonight, even if it means being a little late. If you’re agreeable, I’d love to explore the lake together. Would that be alright?”

“…You noticed.”

“Noticed what, may I ask?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t.”

Ena gave a wry smile and snapped her fingers with the hand that wasn’t holding Asel’s. Instantly, two robes hanging on the coat rack landed neatly over their shoulders. At the same moment, Ena flung the open window even wider and threw herself toward the lake.

*Crackle!*

Ena’s form became a bolt of lightning, cleaving through the night sky. Because he was holding her hand, Asel was carried along with her. In an instant, the two had reached the lake shore and were gazing at each other, smiling.

Access to the lake at night was restricted to outsiders. Consequently, they were the only two present.

The lake’s surface, bathed in moonlight and starlight, was a painting in itself. The cloudless night sky reflected on the surface, while the creatures within the lake stirred, rippling the still water. Asel and Ena strolled along the lake, admiring the scene. By layering a simple barrier beneath their feet, granting them physical purchase, walking on water was hardly a challenge.

The lake grew brighter as they approached the center. As if standing under stage lights, the moonlight illuminated the heart of the lake with a radiant glow. The two stood at this epicenter, gazing at the sky reflected in the water.

“Beautiful,”

Ena murmured. Asel smiled and turned to face her.

“Master, do you happen to remember what you said back then?”

“…? About what?”

“When I asked if there were any pretty spells amongst electric magic, you told me to create one myself, since there weren’t any.”

“Ah, that. I remember. Why?”

Ena tilted her head in question. Instead of answering, Asel held his palm over the water’s surface and drew upon his magical power.

[Thunder Blossom Resonance (雷花共鳴)]

*Crack! Sizzle!*

Lightning erupted from Asel’s palm, racing outward in all directions. Instead of plunging into the water, it traveled along the surface and coalesced into small points. These soon transformed into forms resembling tiny, luminous flowers. Ena’s eyes widened at the sight.

“This is…”

“It lacks practicality, still. At best, it blossoms a lightning flower that electrocutes on contact. Casting takes too long, and for combat, it’s wanting in many ways. Even so…”

Acel trailed off, glancing around.

The bloomed flower continuously disperses electricity, spinning gently. When it meets another flower, it glows even brighter before vanishing. Like scattered petals, currents streak through the air, bathing the entire lake in a brilliant blue. Acel stood at the center, smiling faintly at Ena.

“It’s a sight, isn’t it?”

“…It is.”

Ena murmured, picking up a flower swirling just below her hand. Perhaps because she too was an electric mage, instead of shocking her, the flower slowly bloomed in her grasp. Ena continued,

“Beautiful. Utterly.”

Ena smiled. Acel mirrored the gesture, watching the lightning blossoms drift across the water.

Time passed thus, and it was after dawn when the two returned to their lodgings.