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Chapter 63
“No.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“No means no.”
“Come on, just this once. The club’s survival is on the line here.”
Stefan chattered endlessly, circling around Adrian as he swung his sword.
“What survival? The club’s already dead.”
“W–what? You’re really gonna act like that? After everything I’ve done for you? You can’t even grant one small, cute wish of mine?”
“Nope. I can’t.”
“Ughhhh! Do it! Do it!”
Stefan stomped and twisted his body like a child throwing a tantrum right in front of Adrian.
But Adrian didn’t so much as blink. He had seen Stefan like this far too many times.
“What are you doing? Are you a kid?”
“Yup! I am a kid, so give in already.”
Jeylin, who had come to train under Lionel’s orders, jumped in to help persuade Adrian.
“C–couldn’t you just grant Stefan’s wish? If it’s too much, you can count it as the favor you promised when you made me that magic tool before.”
Adrian lowered the sword he had been holding straight out in front of him and looked down at Jeylin.
“God, what’s wrong with you? Why are you asking me to do something that doesn’t even benefit you?”
Clearly displeased, Adrian ran a hand roughly through his hair and let out a long sigh.
“Do you guys even know what state I’m in right now?”
“Nope?”
Stefan tilted his head, looking blank.
Adrian extended the hand not holding his sword and focused magic at his fingertips.
But the swirling mana wouldn’t hold together and burst apart with a loud pop.
“Gah! That scared me.” Stefan jumped back at the sudden noise.
“Did you forget I can’t control mana properly because of the mutation? Try paying a little attention to me.”
At Adrian’s grumbling, Jeylin quickly asked,
“Th–then, if that problem gets fixed, you’ll do it?”
“…Fine. Now stop interrupting my training and get out of the way.”
“Th–then it’s okay! We only need your mana for the festival, so as long as you help us then, it’ll be fine. By festival time, your mana should have stabilized.”
“If it stabilizes by then, I’ll do it. Happy now? Stop pestering me and go.”
Adrian waved them away dismissively. But Stefan wasn’t done.
“Perfect! So you’ll be our mana supplier, and you can also help collect and organize the star chart data.”
“What? Why the hell should I do that?”
Sheathing his sword, Adrian crossed his arms and glared.
“Well, who else? Jeylin and I need to work on the formulas for the design.”
“Ugh, seriously…”
“It takes forever because we have to calculate each constellation separately and then combine them. You’ll do it, right? Right? Come on, I even made the magic tool you’re wearing!”
At last, Adrian gave in.
“Fine, I said fine.”
“Yes! Adrian, you’re the best!”
“Happy now?”
“Yeah! Thanks! I’ll never forget this favor!”
“If only you’d just shut up.”
Ignoring Adrian’s snark, Stefan hopped out of the training grounds, waving happily.
Since she still had training to do, Jeylin stayed behind, waving goodbye to him.
Once Stefan was gone, Adrian drew his sword again. Jeylin, meanwhile, pulled out the practice dagger she had brought to follow Lionel’s training instructions.
Watching her out of the corner of his eye, Adrian asked,
“So, what are you even doing here?”
“I–I’m learning swordsmanship too.”
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
“Peanut, why? You’re in Magic Design—what’s the point of you learning to use a sword?”
“Um, Lionel-senpai said it’d be useful for the mock final exam if I learned some basics.”
“So you think you can just teach yourself how to handle a dagger? You think that’s possible?”
“Lionel-senpai’s teaching me.”
“Ha. That guy really can’t keep his nose out of other people’s business.”
Jeylin started repeating the movements Lionel had taught her.
Adrian glanced at her with a hint of disdain.
“You actually learned pretty well.”
Sweat streamed down her face. Days of repeating Lionel’s drills had piled muscle soreness on top of muscle soreness, making her body feel heavier than ever.
Still, Jeylin forced her aching arms and legs to keep moving.
From a short distance away, Adrian frowned.
“Peanut, aren’t you overdoing it?”
“Hah… n–no, I’m fine.”
She panted out her reply between ragged breaths.
“Fine? You look like you’re dying.”
“N–no. I can do this.”
But her forehead occasionally scrunched up mid-practice. It wasn’t just exhaustion. The way she bit her lip and shifted restlessly, almost like a puppy desperate to pee, made it obvious the pain was sharper than that.
Finally, unable to ignore it, Adrian stopped swinging his sword and snapped irritably,
“Did you hurt yourself?”
“J–just a little sore.”
“Where?”
“It’s n–not a big deal…”
But under Adrian’s sharp gaze, Jeylin reluctantly let go of the dagger.
Her palms, chafed raw from the hard grip, were blistered and oozing from the repeated motions.
Adrian let out a heavy sigh.
“God, you’re so reckless. If your hands are like this, you should take it easier.”
“B–but this is how everyone learns, right?”
“No, it isn’t. Do my hands look like that to you?”
He held his hand out casually in front of her face.
“I saw before when you let me check your hands for the magic tool. You had calluses on your palms too. Y–you practiced just like this until you got good.”
“And you think that makes us the same?”
“There’s… not much difference…”
“Haah…”
Clearly dissatisfied, Adrian sighed deeply.
Jeylin pursed her lips in frustration, unwilling to back down.
“Stay right here.”
He disappeared for a moment, then returned.
“Give me your hand.”
“W–why?”
“To bandage it. What, you think I’m gonna eat you or something?”
“N–no…”
“Hand me the dagger too.”
She quietly handed it over, and Adrian set it aside.
He carefully applied ointment to her wounds. Despite his rough words, his touch was gentle, as if handling delicate glasswork.
Once the ointment was on, he wrapped the bandage snugly. The pressure made Jeylin wince.
“Ugh!”
“It needs to be tight so it won’t come undone. Endure it—it’ll hurt less this way.”
“O–okay. Thanks.”
Adrian tidied up the supplies and handed her dagger back.
As she gripped the hilt again, she immediately noticed the pain was much less.
“When you run into Heren, ask him to treat you properly. Don’t just stubbornly put up with it.”
“H–Heren? But… this is so minor, it feels like too much to bother him.”
“You mean like being a burden?”
“Yeah.”
“If you’re in pain and mess up the exam, that’s a bigger burden on him. He’s on your team—don’t hesitate to use him as much as possible.”
“…O–okay.”
“And don’t just blindly follow everything Lionel says. Pay attention to your own body too. Got it?”
“Y–yeah. I got it.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Jeylin’s training for the mock monster-combat final continued.
Despite aching all over, she stubbornly completed every bit of the training Lionel assigned.
But deep down, she doubted whether it would really help her survive.
Lionel told her she could do it if she believed, but her stamina and skills were pitifully lacking to face a monster with brute force alone.
No matter how much she swung the dagger, she didn’t feel like her skills were improving at all.
At this rate, she doubted she could even kill a passing ant, let alone a monster—or at least, that’s how it felt to her.
Still, as days went by, her body adjusted. The soreness faded, and she could complete Lionel’s assignments without collapsing.
But Lionel, as if he had a sixth sense, immediately noticed and increased her workload little by little.
It was early summer, when the breeze was still cool.
Rosebuds not yet in bloom dotted the academy grounds, filling the air with the fresh scent of grass.
It was a weekend, so there were no classes.
Unlike weekdays, when the campus was full of students and staff, the grounds were nearly empty.
Only a few students walked the paths—those who had come for extra study or to do club activities.
Jeylin was among them, creaking stiffly along behind Lionel.
