The Obsessive Regressor of The Academy

5. Serendipity (2)

Asher, seeing the slow hardening of Ena’s expression, hastened to explain his current circumstances before she took the wrong impression.

Fleeing from parents who were devil worshippers and seeking refuge in the slums. Making a living as a drug runner, and Evelyn, formerly a factory worker, now sick and in urgent need of medicine—he compressed it all as concisely as he could.

“That’s why becoming an apprentice… it’s difficult. I can’t just disappear and leave my sister here alone.”

Asher was rather fond of Evelyn. Had they grown up in normal circumstances, they’d probably bicker and squabble like any other siblings, but the environment in which Asher and Evelyn were raised was anything but accommodating.

The village where they lived was a remote, nameless place nestled in the mountains. No more than one or two outsiders would ever visit in a year; a closed-off community where only the residents lived together.

Asher and Evelyn experienced every kind of injustice there. Being beaten was commonplace, and they had to handle all the menial tasks of the village, from cleaning the livestock’s dung and urine to chopping firewood or fetching water.

Except for sleeping, they spent their entire days working themselves to death. It was as if they’d been thrown into an environment where they had no choice but to rely on each other.

That bond grew even stronger when they left the village and settled in the slums. And so, Asher had no intention of leaving Evelyn here alone and simply disappearing.

“You’re a good brother.”

Ena, having heard Asher’s hard-luck story, offered a sympathetic smile. She then knelt down, meeting his gaze.

“Don’t worry. If I take you as my apprentice, I’ll take care of your sister as well.”

“…Really?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

Ena smiled gently. She brushed a few strands of rain-soaked hair plastered to Asher’s face, then straightened up.

“More importantly, you said you need medicine for your sister, yes? Let’s go. I happen to have a few remedies on hand.”

“…Medicine?”

“An alchemist affiliated with my order often provides me with various concoctions. Among them is a medicine capable of curing any ailment.”

Ena turned to Asher, pulling out several clinking glass vials from within her robes. From bottles filled with ominous black liquid to those half-full of elixirs in shades of red, blue, and gold. She carefully sorted them with a touch of magic, then took hold of a medicine filled with an emerald-green liquid, a faint smile gracing her lips.

“Lead the way.”

Asher stood there, stunned, for a moment. Then, as if having made up his mind, he started walking ahead. Ena followed, recalling the alchemist’s instructions on how to administer the medicine.

It had been a long while since she last walked on two feet, unburdened by lightning.

*

Ena’s face pinched the moment she saw the house Asel had led her to.

A shanty, practically crumbling, teeming with rats and insects. The wooden walls, riddled with holes gnawed by bugs, and a slightly sagging ceiling that creaked ominously as if threatening to collapse at any moment.

*’People can actually live in a place like this.’*

Secretly marveling at humanity’s capacity for adaptation, she followed Asel inside.

Past what could barely be called a front door, she saw a small girl lying in the middle of the living room. Pale and drenched in sweat, her limbs spasmed erratically. Her face was more than just red; it was as if she were a piece of metal heated to a fiery glow.

“Evelyn!”

Asel screamed and rushed to her side. He frantically shook Evelyn’s shoulder, calling her name, but there was no response, only ragged breaths.

Even those were growing weaker. Her limbs thrashed, and the tattered clothes clung to her skin, soaked in sweat. They were difficult to remove, and besides, there weren’t any clean clothes to change into. Asel bit his lip and removed the metal that was on Evelyn’s forehead. Like the heated metal, Evelyn’s forehead was still blazing hot.

“…Magician.”

Asel called out to Ena, his face on the verge of tears. Even a child with an unusually sharp mind for his age, faced with the imminent death of a loved one, reverts to being a child. Ena looked down at Asel, her gaze filled with concern and reassurance, offering him a gentle smile as if to say, *’Don’t worry.’*

There was no time to hesitate. Ena immediately opened the vial she had prepared, slowly channeling her magic into it.

*Hwaaah!*

When the pure, unadulterated magic came into contact with the potion, the emerald liquid emitted a soft glow, radiating with an otherworldly light. Ena continued to pour her magic into the vial until the light began to fade, then, at the moment it dimmed slightly, she carefully poured the potion into Evelyn’s mouth.

“….”

She gently lifted Evelyn’s head, ensuring she swallowed the potion completely.

Satisfied that Evelyn’s throat had pulsed once, she nodded. Asel asked her anxiously,

“…Is it… is it over?”

“Ah, yes. If we just wait for an hour, she’ll wake up soon. The effects are… already working.”

Ena said, gently stroking Evelyn’s forehead.

As she said, Evelyn’s ragged breathing had returned to normal. Her convulsing limbs had stilled, and aside from the existing sweat, she no longer seemed to be sweating. Only after coming closer to Evelyn and confirming these things did Asel breathe a sigh of relief.

“Haa…”

He collapsed nearby, running a hand over his face. The fear and anxiety slowly peeled away with the contorted expression. If he hadn’t met Ena… If she hadn’t so readily offered her kindness, he might have lost Evelyn today.

Thinking this, Asel stood silently and bowed deeply to Ena, who was looking at him with soft eyes.

“Thank you. It feels like no matter how many times I say it, it won’t be enough. Thank you so much. Really, truly thank you.”

Ena smiled faintly at Asel’s gratitude. She walked over and sat gently beside Asel, removing the hat she was wearing.

“You don’t need to thank me. It’s only natural for a teacher to help their student, isn’t it?”

“…Teacher?”

Asel asked back, a wry smile on his lips. At the reaction, Ena turned to look at Asel with a *’surely not’* expression.

“…You’re not saying you don’t want to be my student, are you?”

She thought she had earned some points by saving Evelyn, but was she still far from her goal? Ena felt an undercurrent of impatience.

Of course, there was no intention to take credit for saving Evelyn. She had saved her because she could. If Aena had possessed absolutely no means to save Evelyn, she wouldn’t have. To complain about it felt beyond conscience-pricking, almost non-existent. Though her life as a mage had exposed her to much, a human heart still remained within her.

‘I thought I would have gained a little favor, at least. Guess not.’

Aena slightly pursed her lips, hugging the hat in her hand.

Just then, seeing Evelyn beginning to stir, Asel spoke.

“If you’d have me, I would like to be. A disciple, I mean.”

“…! Truly?”

“Yes. But I’m not sure if I have the talent for it. What if you take me and only end up disappointed…”

“Disappointed?”

Aena scoffed, turning to face Asel. In her eyes, a desire she couldn’t conceal flickered.

“For you to disappoint me, you’d have to pull a ‘Actually, I was a demon all along, clinging to my master to leech her power.’ That’s the only way you could disappoint me. Your talent is that special.”

“…Is that so?”

“It is. Besides, I’ve never seen anyone awaken their mana on their own, whilst simply witnessing a battle. You might not have fully grasped it, but that alone is remarkable. So…”

Aena lightly tapped Asel’s head with her hand, smiling.

“Let’s go together. I’ll teach you magic. Show you the world.”

Aena extended her hand towards Asel. Asel gazed at the small, pale hand for a long moment before a faint smile flickered across his lips. He reached out with his right hand.

*

“Ugh…”

Evelyn groaned, shifting in place. She writhed there for quite some time before slowly opening her eyes. Heavy lids obscured her vision, but she pushed herself up, forcing the drowsiness away.

Usually, she was up and about right away, so why was she so tired today? Was it from being ill?

She yawned wide and glanced around. Immediately after, her body went rigid.

“Uh, uh…”

The place she was in felt foreign. No, not just foreign, but alien. Evelyn had never been in a space like this before. She pressed her hand against the floor, which felt addictively soft, and began to rapidly gather information.

The overall space wasn’t large. Maybe the size of a master bedroom. But the walls, finished with high-quality wood, signaled that this was certainly not a slum.

And the ceiling? Elegantly decorated and illuminated by a lantern emitting a warm, yellow glow.

Through the clear window embedded in the wall, the warm sunlight streamed into the space. Beyond the window, the scenery was changing at a rapid pace. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be moving. No, it wasn’t just *appearing* to move, it *was* moving. Evelyn gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth.

‘Am I being, abducted?’

A chilling thought bloomed in her mind. Recalling the moments before she fell asleep, she turned her gaze to the opposite side. And there, in her vision, sat the strange, pale woman and Asel, unaware that Evelyn had woken, deep in conversation.

“The proper education will begin when we reach Wiheim. Until then, I’ll just teach you about mana and magical power.”

“Mana is the fundamental substance of this world, and magical power is the energy that mages use to refine mana and manifest magic. Am I correct in understanding that?”

“…What? How did you know?”

“I read it in a book in the carriage. That’s what it said right there.”

“You read a book? You know how to read?”

“Just a small skill, that.”

The content of their conversation didn’t register. Only the sight of them was clear to Evelyn. Gasping, she was on the verge of fainting, recalling the determined words Asel had uttered, and she parted her lips.

‘He said he’d be back before sundown, that he’d get the medicine! In the end, he sold himself to pay for it?’

Tears welled in Evelyn’s eyes. She glared at the paper the suspicious woman held, biting her lip.

It had to be a contract of servitude. If she just tore it, Asel could be freed. Evelyn thought so and bolted to her feet. The sudden movement made the two of them finally notice she was awake.

“Sister!”

Asel cried out in a bright voice. Evelyn glanced at him briefly, then glared at Ena and spat out,

“Release Asel! You witch!”

“Sister?”

“Huh?”

Asel’s eyes widened, and Ena, who had intended to quietly observe their reunion, tilted her head.

She stared at Evelyn, who was glaring at her with hostile eyes, and thought with a serious expression.

Perhaps she wasn’t fully recovered?

“Let him go! Witch!”

Seemed like it.