Chapter 35 : Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Joy stared in disbelief as her lightning was destroyed.

‘No way… A defensive barrier that counterattacks?! Is there such a thing among 3-star defensive spells?!’

Having memorized nearly all 3-star spells before enrolling, she couldn’t fathom a peer using advanced Piling.

Zzzzt! Crack!

Boom! Bam! Crash!

Whether she believed it or not, reality was reality.

Her lightning and Eddie’s barrier continued to clash.

Their vibrant eyes glowed intensely.

But the duel ended there.

Crack!

“…!”

A large crack split Joy’s wand, trembling as it erratically spewed lightning.

‘Damn it… If I keep casting, it’ll break completely!’

“You can’t use that wand again anyway,” Eddie said.

“…!”

His words, reading her thoughts, startled her.

“And if you stop now, you’ll get a half-baked result, worse than that trash wand.”

“Half-baked…?”

“Yes. So give it your all, even if it breaks.”

Joy gritted her teeth at his final words.

She tightened her grip.

‘Fine. I won’t let this defective wand ruin this chance.’

Her mana circuits glowed visibly on her skin.

For one last spell.

Drawing maximum mana, she swung her wand.

“Hah!”

Zzzzzt! Boom! Crash!

Stronger lightning bolts struck Eddie’s barrier and the dome’s walls fiercely.

Dozens of bolts illuminated the dome brilliantly.

Eddie slowly drew his wand back.

Whoosh!

He thrust it forward, as if piercing his opponent.

Swish!

The red barrier swelled massively.

“Ugh…!”

Joy’s vision was engulfed in red as mana erupted.

Crack!

Her wand snapped, and her body flew backward.

But she didn’t crash ungracefully.

Thud!

She adjusted midair, landing with a roll.

She looked up, expecting Eddie’s magic to strike.

But—

“…”

Both Eddie’s magic and her lightning had vanished.

Only the quiet of the dark night surrounded her.

“Huff… Huff…”

Panting, Joy stood.

She looked at her broken wand.

Her face twisted, thinking she’d ruined it.

“…”

But as she frowned at the broken wand, a change came.

Her mana stirred strangely, stimulating her mana circle.

Seeing golden mana circuits glow on her skin, she muttered, “What… is this…?”

Eddie glanced at her, then dispelled the mana dome.

Restoring the damaged training ground, he said, “Rapid mana growth through clashing with external mana. It’s the fastest way for a mage to grow stronger.”

“…”

“That strange sensation is your body adjusting to enhanced mana.”

Teaching again felt nostalgic.

Though his tone was calm, Eddie felt a touch of pride.

Joy, still shocked, approached him slowly.

Her red eyes now held curiosity, tinged with wariness, instead of contempt.

“I have a ton of questions, but I’ll start with this.”

“…”

“Why help me? I’ve been nothing but hostile to you.”

“Because it’s necessary for me too.”

“What?”

“Helping you helps me.”

“What does that mean…?”

Eddie gave vague answers without elaboration.

He preferred guiding toward answers rather than giving them.

Passing Joy with a lighter step, he thought, ‘You don’t understand now, but you’ll soon see why I’m helping you.’

Could Joy grow as he hoped and become a new Palamedes?

Having had mixed success with disciples, Eddie tempered his expectations but held hope.

‘Don’t lose that spirit until then.’

As he left the training ground, he turned back, remembering something.

“Oh, and…”

“…!”

“I get why you do it, but sticking only with other commoners isn’t a good idea.”

“…!”

“If you really want more commoners to graduate with you, let things happen naturally. Huddling in a corner to avoid conflict makes you a bigger target.”

With that advice, Eddie left, his steps briefly heavy with memories of his own school days.

But he shook it off and headed to the dorm.

Joy, clutching her broken wand, stared after him for a long time.

***

Days after the training ground incident, the final report was submitted to Fred’s office just before the deadline.

The next day, Fred entered the classroom holding reports from students who earned extra points.

“Everyone worked hard on the assignment these past two weeks.”

He smiled faintly at the curious students.

“Most of you completed and submitted your reports in the first week. Your diligence is commendable. However…”

He paused, and tension filled the room.

He delivered the conclusion.

“Sadly, only two students properly completed the assignment.”

“…!”

His shocking words caused a stir.

“The students who earned extra points are Marcel Kirhausen and Joy Lixiodor.”

“…”

“…”

Murmur—

The classroom buzzed as the two names were announced.

“Only Marcel and that commoner girl?”

“The assignment’s answer was obvious, wasn’t it? How did they write their reports…?”

“Damn… There go my extra points…”

Students glanced at Marcel and Joy, whispering.

The two, named as top performers, showed contrasting surprise.

‘Why… didn’t Eddie get extra points…?’

Marcel couldn’t understand.

Frowning, he sank into thought.

Unable to find answers, he looked at Eddie.

“…”

Despite feeling Marcel’s intense gaze, Eddie didn’t turn, staring blankly ahead.

Marcel looked away, finding no answers.

Behind him, commoner students celebrated Joy’s success.

“Amazing, Joy…!”

“Congrats! You might top the midterms…!”

They genuinely cheered for her, and Joy was sincerely happy.

But she, too, stared at Eddie’s back, puzzled.

‘What’s with him? He clearly knew the assignment’s answer, so why wasn’t his name called?’

Joyful yet confused, she couldn’t fathom Eddie’s intentions.

Fred continued, addressing the students’ curiosity.

“Everyone except the two named thought the answer was ‘natural materials.’ While natural materials provide excellent mana sources and aren’t wrong, they’re not the correct answer.”

The students stopped murmuring, focusing on the ‘correct’ answer.

“The answer to ‘what most enhances mana growth’ is other mages.”

“…!”

“As you know, dueling other mages is the final stage of magic training, driving rapid mana growth. But you don’t need grand duels to strengthen mana.”

Fred’s gaze briefly passed over Marcel, Joy, and Eddie.

“The key is mana interaction. Experiencing your mana clashing with another’s, regardless of victory, was the assignment’s point.”

Students nodded, finally understanding.

Opinion shifted, praising the two who grasped the difficult assignment.

Some students congratulated Marcel, but he ignored them, looking at Eddie again.

“…”

Eddie remained unresponsive, staring at Fred as he cleared his throat.

“Since only two students found the answer, the assignment was quite challenging. So…”

Snap—

Fred snapped his fingers.

Two small pieces of paper appeared in the air.

They floated slowly to Marcel and Joy.

The two reached out, catching them.

“For the top performers, I’m giving a small additional reward.”

The papers were—

“Vouchers for the Emporium.”

“Ooh…!”

Gasps, especially from the commoner students in the back, filled the room.

The Lieferden Emporium, the academy’s supply shop, sold magical tools, school supplies, and even uniforms.

The vouchers Fred gave allowed one free item from the Emporium—a valuable prize.

“…!”

Joy’s red eyes sparkled with joy as she looked at the voucher.

It was exactly what she needed.

Since her wand broke at the training ground, she’d been penalized in Powell’s ‘Wand Handling’ class for not having equipment.

But now, it was fine.

‘With this… I can get a proper wand…!’

As Joy reveled in her joy, Fred and Eddie exchanged a quiet glance.

Once the voucher reached Joy, Eddie finally checked Marcel’s reaction.

‘As expected.’

Confusion.

Shock.

And self-reproach in his blank expression.

The same look Marcel had for a week after witnessing Eddie’s Attribute Disruption at the entrance exam.

As Marcel’s mind churned with confusion, Fred began the class.

At his instruction, students conjured Nux onto their hands, and Eddie did the same.

Marcel quietly stared at the golden Nux flickering in Eddie’s hand.

Biting his lip.

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