Chapter 13: I Became the Last Place in the Academy

Just moments ago, I was feeling depressed at the thought of ending my relationship with Yun Hamin, a friend I had barely made, and even the kind-hearted protagonist.

But now, I questioned if I had even felt that way at all.

Thump, thump.

My heart wasn't beating so fast because I was excited. Nor was it because I was depressed.

It was more like the fear of prey in the face of a predator.

Or perhaps a warning signal that I felt threatened by that presence.

Since humans don't have sirens, I suppose the heart serves as a substitute.

"...Ah."

What came into view wasn't a crack in the wall or the presence of a monster, but I instinctively knew what it was.

"...Totem."

The moment I uttered the word, I covered my mouth and quickly looked around.

Thankfully, it seemed no one was passing by at that moment, but the problem was how to deal with it.

How was I supposed to remove that ominous feather located high on the barrier, barely within reach?

If there was a ladder, it might be possible, but I didn't think I could find one nearby anytime soon.

Besides, asking for help from the people around here was out of the question; they were all ordinary people.

The minimum requirement for entering the Academy was the ability to accept mana, like me, and to have even a slight manifestation of Abilities. I couldn't ask for help from the people here who didn't attend the Academy.

If I had known this would happen, if I had known it would be in such a place, I would have politely accepted Yun Hamin's offer to help.

But even then, I thought it was best to refuse at that moment.

And that had led to this vicious cycle.

It seemed no one had noticed the existence of that totem yet.

Ordinary people would have difficulty sensing the flow of mana in such places, so they wouldn't feel any ominous vibes. Moreover, it was a secluded area, so even Awakened ones didn't pass by often.

I thought I could reach it if I stood on tiptoe and stretched out my hand.

I wondered if it was safe to touch it with my bare hands.

In the story, totems were mostly broken with magic or tools, so I couldn't help but feel uneasy about touching it with my bare hands.

It was probably too dangerous to use bare hands, so that's why they didn't handle it that way.

"Wait."

I looked around.

After confirming once more that no one was around, I swallowed hard.

The reason I couldn't break the scarecrow wasn't because it was sturdy, but simply because my power couldn't reach that distance.

Why was distance an issue? Because it was a test.

And this wasn't a test.

There were no set rules, and there was no need to be on equal footing with anyone else.

I had some understanding of the sensation of accepting mana.

I also knew the feeling of mana exhaustion from yesterday.

The sensation of being out of breath after running like crazy, the feeling of my head spinning.

"So what if that happens..."

I muttered and reached my hand upward.

Toward the feather that emitted an ominous aura.

If I failed here, it felt like I would be buttoning things up wrong from the start.

Crackle.

The sensation of my whole body accepting the mana flowing in the atmosphere.

Even though I already had enough in my body, it was as if my body was demanding more, urging me to give it more mana.

A yellow flash of light flickered at my fingertips, taking shape.

Even if it couldn't reach the scarecrow, it should be able to break this nearby purple feather.

Crackle, crackle.

The feather-shaped totem began to react to the sudden external impact.

It seemed to be resisting as if it had consciousness.

No, it's too weak.

I was getting anxious.

I could feel the mana in my body being depleted so intensely, yet the feather was only trembling.

"Kuh...!"

Closer, stronger.

I simply grabbed the totem. Without knowing what side effects it might have.

The output of Abilities was focused solely on my palm, and I gathered and released as much mana as possible.

Sparks flew from my palm as if I were setting off fireworks, visible through the gaps in my clenched fist.

My brow furrowed.

I could feel my body trembling.

But unlike before, there was no mana exhaustion.

Only the sensation of being shaved away in chunks enveloped my body.

As I spent time clenching my trembling fist tightly, the ominous power emanating from the feather finally disappeared.

"Heeuh..."

A weak groan escaped my lips.

When I barely opened my hand, the feather on my trembling hand was crumbling powerlessly.

It turned black, stained with ash, and scattered into the air.

As if it had always been that way.

I felt cold sweat running down my entire body.

My vision was blurry, and I wanted to rest a little. So I simply leaned against the barrier and breathed.

I was so weak that even I could tell my breath was faint.

My palm was burned bright red. It didn't matter when I was releasing the mana, but it was only natural that it would turn out like this if I caused an explosion that touched my body.

"It hurts..."

Even so, it was a relief.

My palm stung so much that tears welled up in my eyes, but at least I was able to prevent monsters from invading this place.

Once again, I realized how threatening the existence of these totems, or the monsters who could handle them, was.

Next Wednesday.

That day, this village would be safe.

They were strangers whose faces I didn't even know, but they were also family. I thought that saving their lives was worth a palm like this.

I hung my head low.

But the worry didn't go away.

Simply preventing the monster invasion was definitely a good thing, but it was a one-time thing, and it seemed difficult to predict what would happen next.

Since I had already deviated from the story by living as Kanna Aurora, I had to quickly change the things that hadn't been affected by cause and effect yet.

Otherwise, the information I knew in advance would become useless, and there would be nothing I could know and act upon.

I comforted myself.

If I hadn't done this, I would have become like a scarecrow, standing here waiting for death without being able to change anything from the start.

***

Friday was originally a day to be happy about because the next day was the weekend, but the students of the Academy didn't feel that way.

Since there was an exam on Wednesday, they had to review the studies they had done on Thursday and Friday, and repeat the training to prepare for the practical exam, so they couldn't be happy.

Of course, not everyone would study during that time. Some might go shopping at the department store, and others might go to the zoo to see animals.

But most people invested that time in studying.

I doubted whether I could see results even if I invested in such things, so I simply tilted my head.

In fact, even if I wanted to study, I didn't want to spend the entire weekend doing so.

Originally, I would have investigated the barrier, but since I had solved it easily last night, I had some leeway.

Of course, there might be more than just that one, so I had to look around from time to time, but for now, I had a direction to go in, so I could take a breather.

"Kanna?"

"...Ah, hello."

I could see Yun Hamin's face stiffen slightly as he came to greet me in the morning.

It was because my right hand, which I had raised to greet him, was wrapped in bandages.

"What's wrong? Did something happen yesterday...?"

"Ah, this."

The kids were quickly gathering and chatting as class was about to start.

And as always, their gazes naturally turned to Yun Hamin first, and then to me, the person he was talking to.

I swallowed hard and replied with a bitter smile.

"I burned myself while cooking."

I knew that it was unusual for Yun Hamin to believe my words in the first place.

It was because he was righteous and kind that he believed my words. Others wouldn't believe it until they saw it for themselves, and even if they did see it, they would question where I got this information.

I didn't want to tell anyone around me.

But I wanted to tell Yun Hamin.

Because I thought he would believe me.

"...You have to be careful."

"Yeah, I'll try to be careful now."

I thought that we would move on like this for now, but I would talk to him later when there was a chance.

No, I could just send him a text message later.

"Good morning, Kanna."

"Ah, good morning."

Orca, who must have met him on the way, was behind Yun Hamin.

She greeted me, and I returned the greeting.

It must have been a rare sight for others.

The two who were fighting for the top spot and the bottom-ranked student who played alone on the opposite side were exchanging morning greetings.

Still, exchanging morning greetings and eating lunch together was the extent of it.

If I took up his time again and caused harm to Yun Hamin, even if he said it was okay, the people around him would get angry on his behalf, and I wouldn't be able to bear it.

After greeting them, I took out the textbook from my desk drawer and opened it as if nothing had happened.

Then, I took out the device from my blazer pocket and carefully pressed the screen.

Click, click.

[I found a totem yesterday.]

I wrote the message, but I couldn't bring myself to send it and smacked my lips.

And before long, I turned off the screen without sending the message.

It was too obvious to send it right after greeting him.

I wondered if I should have contacted him in advance while I was getting treatment yesterday.

Since I hadn't had a reason to use the device for a while, I often forgot that I could contact someone.

I swallowed my bitterness and took a sigh of relief as I started the day.

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