Chapter 6: Karen

"Did you hear about the Dungeon Exam?"

A few days later, after academy, Clarice asked me as I toured the academy grounds with her, Ellie, and Misha.

"Dungeon Exam? No, I haven't heard of it."

"I heard from our homeroom teacher that as soon as our student IDs are issued, we'll be diving into the dungeon. Apparently, our formal class placements will be decided based on the results."

It seems there's a disparity in how quickly information travels between classes.

"Is that so? Is S-Class comfortable to be in?"

The three of them exchanged glances at my question.

"Hmm... The competitive spirit is pretty intense, I guess. Especially between Baron and Dominic," Clarice said, tilting her head.

Misha followed up. "Yeah. Those two were really going at it during swordsmanship class."

Rivals, huh? That’s a good thing in its own way.

"What about the top-ranked student, Karen?"

When I asked casually, Clarice answered with a frown.

"She's a bit hard to approach. I tried talking to her today, but she was very curt. Maybe she has something on her mind. Also, it’s probably better to use honorifics with her. The people from other classes surrounding Lady Karen are noisy about it. And her language is... well, speak of the devil."

Following Clarice's gaze, I saw Karen walking somewhere alone.

Since we didn't have any particular destination, our feet naturally followed Karen.

She headed toward the gymnasium where I had taken my Fire Magic class earlier today. Fire Magic training is only permitted in designated areas. It would be a disaster if someone trained randomly around here and set a building on fire.

"Let's take a peek."

Misha moved to peek into the gym.

"Misha, that's bad manners," Clarice said, though she followed right behind her.

Well, I was also curious about what kind of training Karen was doing.

Taking Ellie by the hand, I peeked into the gym and saw an unbelievable sight.

A reddish-white fireball was dancing through the air, circling around Karen exactly as she willed it. It looked as if the fireball itself possessed life.

"Beautiful... I didn't know 《Fireball》 could be manipulated that freely..."

Karen noticed us when Clarice unconsciously voiced her thoughts. Instantly, the fireball vanished without a trace.

"You are..."

As Karen approached us, I conveyed my honest impression.

"I apologize for watching without permission. But that was truly amazing, I was moved. Please teach me how to do that sometime."

However, Karen's reaction was cold.

"Your face is flawless, but you are Colorless, aren't you? You girls shouldn't be deceived by a man like this either. If he does anything terrible to you, tell me. Also, let me give you a piece of advice as a fellow student: it is for your own good not to indiscriminately Appraise people."

"Colorless" refers to the lack of colored lines on the uniform. In other words, a derogatory term for E-Class.

And she realized I had Appraised her during the entrance ceremony... I shouldn't be impressed right now.

Because Ellie snapped at those words.

"...Unforgivable...!"

Baring her hostility, Ellie lunged at Karen.

"Ellie! Sto—"

But before I could finish, Karen's eyes locked onto Ellie first. Defying the laws of inertia, Ellie came to a sudden, dead stop right there.

"———!?"

"To think you, who showed no interest in men, would react this strongly."

Is this the Charm Eye?! No, I heard the Charm Eye only works on the opposite sex, so is this the Binding Eye?

But now wasn't the time to be impressed.

I held the shoulders of Ellie, who was still radiating hostility toward Karen.

"I apologize for her suddenly trying to attack you! So please, release the binding on Ellie!"

I demanded Karen release her.

"She should be able to move now. Ellie, if I offended you, I apologize. But remember this: I have no intention of being your enemy."

My eyes followed Karen's retreating figure as her crimson hair swayed behind her.

"So that was the Binding Eye... What did it feel like?"

We left the gym a while after Karen had departed.

"...Couldn't move..." Ellie answered, looking frustrated.

The Binding Eye alone is strong enough, but if she can freely manipulate the movements of the opposite sex, that’s just too much of a cheat.

"Ellie. You must apologize to Lady Karen when you see her tomorrow," Clarice admonished her.

"...No... She made fun of... Mars..." Ellie shook her head.

"Her phrasing might have been poor, but it’s true that she was worried about us. You need to talk to her and apologize properly. I'll apologize with you."

"I'll apologize too. After all, I was the one who went to peek in the first place."

Under Clarice and Misha's persuasion, Ellie finally agreed.

Apparently, they were able to apologize without issue the next day.

A few days later, at 4:00 AM.

Having finished my morning training and with a little time to spare, I headed to the gymnasium where Fire Magic could be used.

I couldn't forget the 《Fireball》 I saw Karen use the other day. When I have time, I train alone, but no matter how many times I try, I can't manipulate it at will like she did.

How do you bring a 《Fireball》 flying with such momentum to a sudden stop?

I can manage to curve it about ninety degrees if I fly it slowly, but I can't change its course a full one hundred eighty degrees like Karen. Even the Fire Magic teacher threw up his hands when I asked.

No good today either...

Shoulders slumped, I turned on my heel to leave, only to find Karen standing there.

"So you were a mage, not a vanguard. And quite a Fire Mage at that. I was deceived by your physique."

I never expected Karen to speak to me. Especially after she disliked me so much.

"Yes, I am indeed a mage. But I can't stop a 《Fireball》in mid air like you can, Lady Karen. Though I don't intend to give up."

As I tried to walk past her, she gave an unexpected reply.

"You don't stop it. You spin it in place."

"Eh?"

"You fail because you try to stop the 《Fireball》 on the spot. At first, you must focus on spinning it in a small circle. Once you get used to it, you gradually make that circle smaller, and eventually, you'll be able to stop it."

As if to demonstrate, Karen manifested a 《Fireball》 and sent it flying straight ahead. When it reached the position where she wanted to stop it, the fireball drew a large circle. Gradually, the circle became smaller until it finally came to a dead stop.

I see! So that's how it works!

"Thank you very much!"

"It will take time to get used to, so do it little by little. Also, be careful of your remaining MP. If you overdo it, it will interfere with classes... Eh!? Why?"

It seems Karen tried to Appraise me but failed. As expected, Appraisal doesn't work on me.

"I seem to have a unique constitution, so Appraisal doesn't work. Duke Regan even said that the Charm Eye doesn't work on me either."

"Even the Charm Eye?"

"Yes. Would you like to try?"

When I asked the surprised Karen, she replied, "No... If Duke Regan's Charm Eye didn't work, then mine definitely won't. It has poor fuel efficiency, so it's not something to use indiscriminately."

Heh... Poor fuel efficiency. That's good to know. That means if she fights mainly using the Charm Eye, she'll struggle in a prolonged battle.

"But why did you teach me?"

Her attitude was clearly different from before, so when I asked, she showed a slightly lonely expression.

"Most first-years choose Water Magic classes, don't they? You know that learning Water Magic makes it harder to learn Fire Magic, right?"

I learned this after entering the academy, but Fire and Water, as well as Earth and Wind, are opposing elements. Learning one apparently makes it difficult to learn the other.

"Yes. I learned that in class."

"It's not just first-years; students in every grade only take Water Magic, don't they? Because of that, the number of people who can handle Fire Magic inevitably decreases. I just couldn't forgive that situation. It felt like they were saying Fire Magic is inferior to Water Magic."

"But when I asked you to teach me the other day, I feel like you didn't..."

I remember it vividly because Ellie snapped at her words back then.

"There are many people who approach me asking to be taught just to curry favor. I apologize, but I simply thought you were one of them."

True, that is the quickest way to get close to someone.

"I see. It seems I had some misunderstandings as well. Thank you for teaching me so many things!"

As I left the gymnasium, Karen entered it.

Walking a bit and looking back, the brilliantly shining 《Fireball》 was illuminating the darkness that had yet to break.

"Did something happen with Lady Karen?"

After academy that day, Clarice asked me while the four of us were hanging out. Her voice held a tension different from our usual chats.

"Ah. I met Lady Karen during morning training. I asked her about Fire Magic."

I relayed my conversation with Karen exactly as it happened.

"I see... Lady Karen is the second daughter of the Fressbald Duke family, the holders of the Fire Crest, so her feelings toward Fire Magic might be stronger than most... Wait, Mars, you do morning training?"

"Yeah, I want to beat Cyrus-sensei as soon as possible. I run a marathon, do muscle training, and then practice swinging. Once every three days, I rest my muscles for super-recovery, so I go do Fire Magic training then. It just happened to be today. Is something wrong?"

"Yeah... It's rare... No, it's the first time Lady Karen has spoken to someone first. Asking us to tell her about Mars."

"Ah, she asked me today too! Why Mars is in E-Class."

Not just Clarice, but Misha too? She could have just asked me directly.

"Maybe she felt some sympathy as a fellow Fire Mage."

She was lamenting the scarcity of Fire Mages, after all.

"Hey? Can I join the morning training too? Ah, but if you don't want me to, it's fine..."

Her voice trailed off a little perhaps anxious about being rejected.

"It starts at 3 AM, will you be okay?"

This is the reason I haven't invited anyone. Even I think it's too early. Plus, while I know Clarice is an early riser, Ellie is very weak in the mornings. If I invited them, Ellie would surely come too, so I felt bad and didn't ask.

"Of course! I'll definitely do it! What about you, Ellie?"

"...Me too... Together..."

As expected, Ellie jumped on board.

"Are you sure? It's early, you know?"

"...Yeah... I'll do my best..."

Ellie clenched her fist and showed a smile.

Then Misha raised her hand slightly.

"Can I join too? There's something I want to try out."

"Alright! Then, meeting in front of the first-year building at 3 AM starting tomorrow, sound good?"

"""Yeah!"""

I can see Clarice and the others tomorrow morning. My head was full of that thought. Without knowing what was in Misha's heart.

January 20th.

"Haa... Haa... It's finally over..."

"...Dying..."

It had been an hour since Clarice, Ellie, Misha, and I started the marathon. Misha dropped out halfway, but Clarice and Ellie kept up with me from the first day and completed the run.

"You two are amazing after all. I didn't think you could keep up, but as expected."

I poured 《Water》 into cups made with Earth Magic and handed them to the two who had collapsed.

"Just keeping up took everything I had... Being able to incorporate interval sprints like Mars is still a long way off."

"...Yeah... Impossible..."

The marathon started to strengthen cardiopulmonary function, but I actually include full-power dashes about every ten minutes. You have to shift gears during combat, after all.

By the way, when Misha saw me shift gears, she chanted 《Wind》 on herself to accelerate... in a completely wrong direction.

She seemed to intend to cast 《Wind》 on her back, but in her exhaustion, she probably held her side and cast it there. She went flying magnificently into the manicured shrubbery and dropped out ten minutes in.

When I went to retrieve her immediately, she told me repeatedly that she could go back alone and wanted me to continue the marathon, so I kept running, but I was still worried.

When I told the exhausted Clarice and Ellie that I was going to where I parted with Misha, Clarice's expression clouded slightly.

"Mars. Please take care of Misha, I feel like she's been brooding a bit lately..."

Brooding? I didn't notice anything like that.

"Understood, I'll be going then. I used 《Search》 to check the area, but no one was there. If we need Holy Magic, now is the time, but Ellie, stay alert just in case."

I squeezed my voice to tell Clarice, then left the spot.

Misha was sitting near the shrubbery, looking down.

"Misha. Are you okay?"

Startled that I had come for her, she responded, "Eh!? Mars!? Yeah... I'm okay."

She answered stoutly, but Misha's eyes were swollen red as she hurriedly wiped her face.

"Mind if I sit?"

I sat down next to Misha, and after a while, she began to sob.

"Clarice... and Ellie-rin are amazing, aren't they...? They finished the run, right?"

I waited for Misha's words without answering.

"...I'm kinda... pathetic, aren't I...? Clarice can do anything, Ellie is a specialist in close combat. Lady Karen is the best Fire Mage in the grade... Baron and Dominic have their own strengths too... But I have nothing. I can only smile and try to keep everyone in a good mood."

Misha's emotions gradually swelled, her voice trembling. She buried her face in her knees as she sat hugging them, continuing.

"Sorry... I was the one who asked to join... but from tomorrow, just do it with the three of you. If I'm there, I'll just make everyone worry. Three years ago, I didn't really understand your abilities, so I wrote big things in our letters about wanting to work hard together, but now that we've grown, I understand. I'm just holding you back."

The emotions she had been bottling up overflowed, tears streaming down Misha's cheeks like a dam breaking.

She must have been under considerable pressure entering S-Class. Perhaps the noise from those around her had reached her ears too. Even I hear those rumors.

"Misha, You might not believe this, but there's something I want you to hear."

I spoke to her as gently as possible, just like when we were captured together. Misha responded with a voice that sounded like it was about to disappear.

"...Yeah."

"Actually, there was something I was bad at, and I failed at it over and over again."

"———!?"

She looked up, evidently surprised.

"There were so many things everyone else could do that I couldn't. And when I say 'everyone,' I don't mean people like Clarice, Ellie, or those who can get into S-Class, but everyone, including those who failed to get into this academy."

"No way... Really?"

"Yeah, but I never considered giving up. I kept working hard, forever. What do you think the result was?"

It’s a story from my previous life, but it was definitely me.

"Since it's you, Mars, you became able to do it, right? You seem like the type who would try as many times as it takes until you succeed."

Misha seems to be idealizing me quite a bit; there's probably a wish included in that.

"Just as you say, Misha, I didn't give up. But in the end, I couldn't achieve it. If I could, I would still want to challenge it, but I can't challenge it anymore."

Since I've reincarnated here, I can't take entrance exams in Japan anymore. Well, maybe there's a way to return to Japan, but I have no intention of returning to Japan without Clarice or Ellie.

"...You're lying... Was it all a waste?"

Misha covered her mouth with an expression of disbelief.

"Looking only at the result, it might have been a waste. But for me, it wasn't. I want to praise myself for being able to keep working hard toward a single goal. You might think I'm just acting tough, but that's not it. Actually, looking at me now, do you think I'm just bluffing, or that I'm pathetic?"

Misha shook her head so violently I thought it might fly off.

"Then isn't Misha not pathetic either? Isn't that right? You still have plenty of chances. Rather, don't you think giving up here would be more pathetic and wasteful? It's only the first day of training, you know?"

"..."

There was no reply, but Misha's face gradually tightened. Just one more push.

"I want to train with you, Misha, and I want to grow. How about it? Will you continue training with us? Won't you struggle a bit more?"

"...Is it okay...? To do it together again?"

Determination lodged in Misha's eyes along with her tears. She'll be alright now.

"Yeah. Let's do our best together."

When I stood up and reached out my hand, Misha took it immediately.

"Thank you..Also, there's one thing I have to tell you, Mars. Will you listen?"

My heart skipped a beat as Misha stared straight into my eyes.

"Eh, ah... What is it?"

"Umm... I really struggled with whether to say this or not..."

Misha's cheeks dyed red. Could it be...? This development? No way?

"Don't get mad, okay? I just wiped my snot with my right hand..."

"Eh?"

I thought Misha's hand was damp with the sweat of effort and beautiful tears, but it was snot?

"Well then, let's go back to Clarice and Ellie-rin! Knowing them, they're probably waiting for me, right?"

Pulled by the hand of a Misha so energetic it was hard to believe she had been exhausted moments ago, we ran. My hand and Misha's didn't separate until we reached Clarice and the others.

Two days later.

Today, as always, the four of us did morning training.

Misha couldn't keep up with the marathon immediately, of course, so going back to pick up Misha who had tired out halfway and carrying her back on my back became part of my marathon menu.

Today is a non-muscle training day. We headed to the gym; I trained Fire Magic, while the ladies trained Wind Magic.

"Hey, Mars? You used to hit yourself with Wind Magic to accelerate, right?"

Misha asked halfway through. Does she mean 《Wind Clad: Sylphid》?

"Can you see it, Misha?"

Since no one had ever pointed it out, I thought it was invisible.

"Hmm. I can't see it clearly, but I felt it. Will you teach that to me too?"

Is it because she's an Elf, a race seemingly loved by the wind, that she could sense it?

"Clarice, did you know I was clad in wind?"

"No, I didn't notice at all."

If Clarice, who has high magic power and is always nearby, doesn't know, it must be due to race or talent values. Either way, if she can sense it, Misha might be able to learn it.

"Ah, alright…Then first, gather mana in your dantian, and circulate it through your body with the sensation of..."

As I was teaching Misha 《Sylphid》, a voice called out from the gym entrance.

"Oh? Everyone is here today?"

It was Karen, presumably here for Fire Magic training.

"""Good morning, Lady Karen."""

Only Ellie ignored her and sent me a passionate gaze.

"Yes, Good morning."

After greetings, Karen immediately began her Fire Magic training.

Glittering flames danced around Karen, who held her right hand out in front. Our eyes were captivated by the dynamic 《Fireball》, tracing the trajectory of the flames, when suddenly the 《Fireball》 vanished, and Karen's expression distorted.

"...Still not reaching it... huh."

As she muttered something, Clarice, who had been watching, applauded.

"It was like being in a dream!"

"Yeah! I want to see more!"

Misha clapped and gave her impressions too. Ellie didn't say anything, but she applauded louder than anyone.

"Thank you, but I still have a long way to go."

She smiled, but frustration radiated from the depths of her eyes.

"That's right. There was one thing I forgot to tell you, Mars. regarding the training method I mentioned the other day: think of it as taking one year to circle widely, one year to gradually shrink it to a stop, and one year to reverse it. To move it like I do will take many more years, but that is normal, so do not give up and keep trying."

It takes that long? But that means there's a possibility I can do what Karen does now by graduation. And it's reassuring that the best teacher, Karen, is at the same academy.

"Thank you for teaching me! I try it many times during class, but it doesn't go quite as I want."

I manifested a 《Fireball》 and slowly rotated it around.

"Y-You!? You reached this level!?"

Karen's voice cracked.

"No, I can only do it slowly. If it goes behind my back, it dissipates or goes out of control, so I still have a long way to go."

"I-I see...To manipulate a 《Fireball》 you can no longer see, you have no choice but to familiarize yourself with fire and be able to visualize it...But to manipulate it that much within a few days of starting training, you might be loved by fire too."

Familiarize myself with fire, huh?

I suspect the reason I was able to manipulate fire surprisingly well in such a short time is thanks to my Dexterity stat. Since my Fire Magic talent is low, that's the only thing that comes to mind.

"Umm. If you don't mind, could you tell me what you are challenging, Lady Karen? You didn't seem satisfied even though you could control Fire Magic so freely."

Since I was curious about her frustrated expression earlier, I asked. Karen crossed her arms and thought for a moment.

"Let's see...If you're willing to wait until after the Dungeon Exam and the Ranking Battles are over, I'll tell you. Until then, the three over there are my S-Class classmates, but also my rivals."

Leaving those words behind, Karen left the gymnasium.

"That's good, Clarice. Not being a rival."

Misha nudged Clarice with her elbow.

"W-What are you saying? It's not like that!"

Clarice hurriedly denied it. Hmm? Karen said rivals, though?

"Clarice, don't underestimate Lady Karen. She's working hard alone like this. She might be putting in effort in other ways too. Let's do our best not to lose to Lady Karen!"

When I tried to rally everyone, they looked at me with cold eyes for some reason.

"Mars, that's not it... It's not exactly wrong, but it's different."

Clarice showed a troubled face.

"Hey? Is Mars dense?"

Misha asked Clarice and Ellie, not me.

"...Dense..." Ellie sighed mixed with a word.

In the end, without understanding what the three were saying, we left the gymnasium too.