Chapter 283: To Aldreque (1)

It was late at night. I was lying in bed at Charles Hall, trying to sleep.

I checked the [Unique Trait] tab in the status window.

[Nightfalls’ Edge]...

The unique trait [Nightfalls’ Edge]. In common terms, it was a hidden piece.

It had the effect of dealing effective damage to fairies.

The effects I had accumulated from my exposure to Snow White’s mana had finally manifested.

For someone like me, who wielded elemental magic in a standard manner, it became difficult to fight against fairies without something like that.

I obtained it sooner than expected.

Well, getting it sooner didn’t necessarily make it better.

It just gave a sense of security, like, “Oh, I got it.”

If Ian had obtained this trait, it would have become an attack power buff.

As for our protagonist Ian, thanks to his Divine Power and the fairy’s blessing passed down in the Fairytale family, he could land effective hits on fairies even without [Nightfalls’ Edge].

So, if Ian had obtained [Nightfalls’ Edge], the only merit he would gained would be an attack power buff.

Tap tap.

Suddenly, I heard a tapping sound on the window.

I turned my head toward the window. A bird magic beast wearing a bag was tapping on the window repeatedly with its beak.

V?

V. It was the courier used for sending urgent letters.

I waved my hand to dismiss the status window and got out of bed, heading toward the window.

When I opened the window, V took out a letter from the bag it was carrying with its long beak and handed it to me.

After receiving the letter, I signed the receipt form that V handed me.

V nodded in satisfaction and then flapped its wings, leaving the windowsill.

What is this?

The seal of the tower master of Hegel was stamped on the letter.

Did Aria send me this?

She wouldn’t have sent a letter just to inquire about my well-being. It was clear something had gone wrong with her secret research, or there was something urgent she needed to report to me.

I opened the envelope, took out the letter inside, and read it. The content was brief.

I am sending this letter to share some information I have discovered. There is both good news and bad news.

Without any greetings, she went straight to the point.

I was used to it. Aria never bothered with formalities.

The good news is that I have found a way to widen the Nether rift. It’s enough for you to enter.

The bad news is that you cannot widen the rift at a time of your choosing.

I will come to you soon after gathering more precise information, and we can discuss the details then.

The letter ended there.

I examined the letter thoroughly and even tried to sense any mana, but there was nothing special about it.

I can widen the rift, but not at the time I want?

In other words, the timing for entering the Nether would be forced upon me.

Aria knew I couldn’t recklessly visit Hegel Magic Tower with Vuel around. If Vuel discovered the rift leading to the Nether, who knew what he might do then.

That was probably why Aria mentioned she would come to me when the situation allowed.

I decided to wait for Aria for the time being.

When the time is right, she’ll come to me.

***The green leaves slowly turned red. As the rain came and the heat subsided, the cool season began to emerge.

A few weeks passed, and it was morning.

At the gates of Märchen Academy, many carriages were waiting, each one belonging to the academy.

Today was the day we were leaving for Aldreque, the city where the Academy Clash would be held.

Students in uniforms boarded the carriages assigned to them.

The students who were chosen to participate in the Academy Clash boarded the carriages in the front row, while those who expressed their intention to attend as spectators boarded the remaining carriages.

“I’m... in that one.”

The note I received from the faculty had the number 4 written on it.

I found carriage number 4. It was in the front row.

As a result of the selection test, I earned the right to participate in the Academy Clash.

Given my abilities, it was only natural. It would have been strange if I hadn’t been selected.

“Senior Isaac?”

Suddenly, I heard a cute voice from behind.

I stopped and turned my head. A girl with black pearl-colored hair came into view.

It was Preistess Miya.

“Miya?”

Seemingly pleased that I had called her name, Miya clasped her hands behind her hips and smiled brightly.

“What carriage number are you in?”

“Number 4. But you don’t need to know that, do you? We won’t be riding together.”

In other words, the fact that Miya was among the carriages meant she was participating as a spectator.

“If I know your carriage number, I can keep track of where you are on the way to Aldreque, right?”

Miya responded, absentmindedly swirling her fingers around.

I couldn’t tell what the movement of her fingers meant. It just seemed like a meaningless gesture.

“What are you going to do with that information?”

Besides, Ron’s twisted beliefs meant he likely wouldn’t harm anyone but me. At least... for now.

“Why aren’t you getting in? Hurry up and get in.”

“Yeah, well...”

When Instructor Ron also urged me, I lifted my glasses and flashed a gentle smile. It was just for show.

From what the Cheshire had observed so far, Instructor Ron hadn’t shown any suspicious behavior since arriving at the academy.

He was well-liked by everyone at the academy, and because he gave great lectures, he was considered the perfect part-time instructor.

I quietly sighed and climbed into the carriage.

Thud.

I felt the seat sink as I sat down. The coachman glanced back at us, puzzled.

“Hm?”

Abel and Roanna also looked around, seemingly noticing the tilt of the carriage.

It was because of the clothes I was wearing.

The outfit was a magic tool that increased its weight in proportion to the amount of mana infused into it. I had reduced the mana earlier in the morning to adjust the weight.

However, it still seemed heavier than a single person’s weight should be.

The coachman scratched his head before turning back around.

“Senior Isaac, did you maybe overeat this morning...?”

Roanna smacked Abel on the back of the head before he could finish his dumb question.

At the gates of Bethel Academy, several carriages were lined up in an orderly fashion.

Noah Bartin, a male student with tied-back ash-gray hair, boarded one of the carriages with eyes like a rotten fish.

The girls, who had been chatting animatedly, quieted down as soon as Noah appeared and began whispering among themselves.

“Why does it have to be him...?”

“He’s so creepy, I hate it...”

Noah heard their soft voices, but he quietly fixed his gaze outside the window.

Being rejected by people was nothing new for Noah; it was a regular occurrence.

To him, it was no different from the chirping of birds or the sound of a flowing stream.

“Alright, are we all set? No one left anything behind?”

“Yes.”

The instructor, who was acting as the supervisor, boarded the carriage and asked, and the girls responded.

The instructor sat next to Noah. Noah glanced at the instructor and then looked back out the window.

“Heh, this kid is still as gloomy as ever.”

“Instructor... my hair...”

The instructor laughed heartily and roughly ruffled Noah’s ash-gray hair. Noah grumbled irritably as he straightened his hair.

The instructor was intrigued by his motives.

When Noah’s name appeared on the list of participants for the Academy Clash, the students of Bethel Academy were astonished.

In a way, he was the weakest. He had narrowly passed the qualification process. If more capable participants had applied, there would have been no place for Noah.

At such a grand event where prestigious academies gathered to compete, no one wanted their academy to be humiliated, and all the students agreed on that.

In the end, a student like Noah, who lacked skill and had a gloomy demeanor, was not welcomed as a tournament participant.

Noah must have known this. Yet, unlike his usual self, he had shown enthusiasm and was determined to participate in the tournament. Thus, the instructor was intrigued by this sudden change.

“...I think my younger sister might come.”

“Your sister?”

His younger sister, Taryn Bartin, who was currently visiting Märchen Academy.

Noah judged that there was a high chance she was going to attend as a spectator.

“At the very least, as her older brother, it seemed wrong for me to miss an event like this.”

Though his younger sister always fought with him at every opportunity, Noah at least wanted to show her how hard he was trying. He thought that was his duty as her older brother.

The instructor chuckled softly at Noah’s motive.

“I won’t say anything to a guy who’s trying his best. Since you’re a participant, give it your all.”

“...Yes.”

Noah responded flatly and turned his gaze back out the window.

A man with iron mana.

Because he hid his power, he wasn’t fully aware of it, and there was a truth no one knew yet.

Noah was, in fact, the strongest person at Bethel Academy.

Meanwhile, at Raizel Academy.

Inside the lead carriage heading toward Aldreque.

A male student, who awkwardly hesitated, finally spoke up, “Hans, I’ve been wondering whether to tell you this for a while now...”

“What is it?”

“Do you really think the Ice Sovereign from Märchen Academy will participate in the tournament? If the rumors are true, no one will be able to beat him... not even you, Hans...”

“He has to participate. That’s the only way us joining the tournament would be worth it.”

“Huh?”

Hans, one of the twin boys sitting side by side with his brother, rested his elbow on the windowsill and leaned his chin on his hand.

“When my brother and I team up, we’re unbeatable. No matter who the opponent is, we never lose.”

There was no rule that stated all the prodigies with exceptional talent must flock to Märchen Academy.

Other prestigious academies besides Märchen Academy also had their share of powerful students.

The McGregor twins, Raizel Academy’s greatest strength.

They were eagerly awaiting a showdown with the Ice Sovereign.