Chapter 204

Chapter 204

There was a lot to do. And I had to step up my training even more.

I added some new routines in addition to those from the first semester.

One of them was focused on enhancing my superhuman abilities.

Boom!

Ellen nodded after taking a hit from me.

“It definitely feels right.”

“Really?”

“Try a few more things. It seems like a good idea.”

“That’s a relief.”

Self-Deception was a vague superhuman ability, and so far, I had used it practically by calling up certain reinforcement patterns as presets.

I devised a method to make it more useful and functional, and it seemed to be quite effective.

It was a bit embarrassing to describe in detail, and it felt a little cheesy while using it. Still, if it worked, it was good enough.

It was more about specialization than enhancement. I wanted to add more versatility to the use of my superhuman ability.

One focus was on the specialization of Self-Deception.

As for the other...

“... I don’t get it.”

“... I also don’t know how to teach it.”

Ellen was staring at me struggling with my eyes closed, ultimately achieving nothing.

This was the first step towards Mana Domination.

I was trying to achieve Mana Reinforcement.

Ellen had unlocked Mana Reinforcement on her own, and since then, she had focused on adapting and mastering it through one-on-one lessons. Ellen was such an exceptional case that she was the only one among the first years taking that class. Even if I applied for it, I wouldn’t be accepted.

Besides improving my superhuman abilities, I needed to be able to perform Mana Reinforcement.

I had to learn to handle my mana while accelerating my mana growth.

With that in mind, after intensive training on the training grounds, I received one-on-one Mana Reinforcement training from Ellen.

But Ellen, being a genius beyond mere genius, simply looked at me with a gaze that said, ‘I can do it easily; why can’t you?’

“I can do it, so I don’t know why you can’t,” she said.

“Damn it, do you think we’re the same? Isn’t it weird that you can do it so easily in the first place?”

“... Still.”

“Still? What do you mean, still?”

‘Do you think we’re on the same level?’

I thought having two mana-related talents might help me grasp Mana Reinforcement, but that wasn’t happening. I couldn’t feel anything.

‘Is this 4000-point talent even effective? I don’t see any difference at all!’

Come to think of it, if having two mana-related talents meant I could instantly perform Mana Reinforcement, Vertus would already be a Swordmaster, since he also possessed both of those talents.

Mana Domination... It was truly overpowered.

“Hmm... Mmm...”

Ellen seemed to be struggling to figure out how to teach me Mana Reinforcement, even though she could do it easily herself.

Then again, you can’t just teach someone how to breathe. It’s something you just know how to do. For Ellen, Mana Reinforcement was as natural as breathing.

Ellen furrowed her brows slightly, repeatedly fortifying and releasing her mana, tilting her head in contemplation as she tried to come up with an idea. But nothing seemed to click for her.

It was kind of cute seeing her like that, and it somewhat lightened my mood.

“Just try it again for now.”

“... ‘Try it again’? That makes it sound like I did something right before.”

‘I haven’t done anything... I honestly don’t understand it at all. Telling me to try again isn’t going to produce any results!’

“Just do it anyway.”

“... Alright.”

Ellen sat across from me, and I focused my mind while seated.

Of course, I didn’t feel anything. I knew there was mana inside my body, but without knowing how to sense it, trying to use it to fortify my physical body seemed impossible.

“Can’t do it?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm...”

Ellen held both of my hands in hers with a puzzled look.

‘Is she trying to detect something on her end?’

But then, Ellen suddenly let go of my hands as if startled.

“... What is it?”

“... Nothing. Just keep going.”

‘What was that? Is she suddenly being shy after being so nonchalant about everything until now?’

Ellen didn’t take my hands again, and she just kept watching me attempt whatever I was doing.

Ellen and I spent several hours sitting across from each other while I struggled.

It was a torturous exercise, not even worthy of being called training—it was a blind person trying to describe an elephant.

I couldn’t even tell if I was making any progress, so it hardly felt like training.

*

For activities like swordsmanship or physical conditioning, the results obtained were always commensurate with the time invested. Even though the rate of growth might slow down, physical pain would always lead to growth.

But with Mana Reinforcement, it was a different story.

If that were the case, Charlotte’s choice to distance herself from me might actually be the decision that ensured the prophecy becoming reality.

Of course, all this speculation hinged on the fact that Dettomorian’s prophecy would really come to pass.

Ultimately, every story related to prophecies conveys one message: fate cannot be avoided, and what is meant to happen would inevitably happen. Actions taken to avoid destiny often hastened its arrival.

As I thought about Charlotte’s situation, I felt a chill run down my spine.

It made me fear that all my efforts to handle the Gate Incident might be futile, or even cause unexpected problems.

The Gate Incident was destiny, after all, and I was trying my best to avoid it.

Would all my efforts to prevent it work as intended? Or would they lead to another kind of Gate Incident?

I didn’t know.

The Gate Incident was a problem in the future.

In the present, Charlotte seemed to have begun to find me intimidating, and although I didn’t know the specifics, it appeared to be because of what Dettomorian had said. That was the issue.

If Charlotte was trying to distance herself from me, what could I say to her to tell her that there was no need? Did I even have the right to say anything?

After all, it was Charlotte’s decision to act as she saw fit, and telling her otherwise would be absurd.

Finally, while lost in thought in my room, my communication device beeped.

“... Reinhart.”

Charlotte’s slightly somber voice came through the communicator.

“Could we... talk for a moment?”

There was a determination in Charlotte’s voice, as if she had decided something.

*

I left the Royal Class dormitory after Charlotte’s call. She was waiting for me on a small bridge over a pond deep in the park in front of the dormitory. It was a quiet place, rarely visited by others.

Although it was secluded, the pond was well-maintained, with crystal clear waters.

Charlotte leaned against the railing of the bridge, looking at me with a tilt to her head.

“You came.”

“Yeah.”

Her manner was different from what it had been recently whenever we passed each other.

Instead of just awkwardness or a sense of intimidation, she now seemed to be filled with deep sorrow. Charlotte leaned against the railing facing the pond, and I leaned against the railing on the opposite side, facing away.

We did not face each other, as it seemed it would be more comfortable for both of us this way.

I didn’t know what Charlotte was going to say.

“I’ve been a bit strange lately, haven’t I?”

“... I can’t deny it, even if I wanted to. Yes, you have.”

“I couldn’t help it after hearing such surprising things...”

“... I felt the same way too...”

She was talking about Dettomorian’s reading again. The one in which we were supposed to get married.

So, Charlotte’s recent behavior had indeed been because of that.

“It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? Isn’t it?” she asked.

The idea of us getting married. Charlotte said it was ridiculous, and I agreed with her on that.

“Yeah, it’s ridiculous,” I replied, turning my head slightly to glance at her.

“But you know, I felt a bit offended.”

Charlotte looked at me with a slightly mischievous smile, and her words left me momentarily stunned.

“... What?”

“I mean, isn’t it strange? I didn’t think anything of it, but then you went and denied it so fiercely. It felt bad. It made me wonder if I was that undesirable.”

“N-No, no! That wasn’t my intention! You know what I meant by that!”

‘I didn’t mean that I disliked you, just that from a realistic perspective, it was highly improbable. You know that, right?!’

Instead of feeling happy about the prospect of marrying a princess, I had been horrified by the thought and had adamantly denied that such a thing could ever happen.

Now that I thought about it, it was possible she found that offensive.

“... I didn’t mean it that way. Sorry if I made you feel bad.”

“I know, I know. I understand what you meant. It’s just... it made me feel strange. If you had somehow liked the idea... it would have been even weirder. When I thought about it calmly, I realized that.”

Charlotte was smiling at me.

Indeed, if I had been overjoyed and said something like “Oh great, I’m going to marry the princess! Life couldn’t be better!” it would have been far weirder.

It wouldn’t have just been awkward; she would have genuinely avoided me, thinking, ‘Does he really believe that? How terrifying.’

“But you know, even though Detto said it might not come true, I couldn’t help but give it some serious thought. What could lead to me marrying you...”

“... Seriously?”

“Yeah. Why? Am I not allowed to do that?”

“No, it’s not that it isn’t allowed... but isn’t it weird, telling me about that?”

Then again, I had given it some thought as well. About what circumstances would lead to me marrying Charlotte.

“Of course, it’s not that I like you or have an interest in you in that way. I was just curious to see if there was a logical sequence of events that could lead to that outcome.”

She kept her tone serious, emphasizing that she didn’t want me to misunderstand anything. Had Charlotte reached some sort of rational conclusion after thinking about it on her own?

Charlotte fixed her gaze on the fish swimming in the pond.

“Reinhart, you know...”

“... Yeah?”

“From what I considered, I don’t think marrying you is exactly impossible.”

“... Whaaat?”

Charlotte surprised me with an answer far beyond my expectations. Seeing my reaction, she laughed.

Though I didn’t know what she was thinking, I couldn’t look away from her smile.