Chapter 36
Where the pale dust had settled.
A silence, as though time had stopped, permeated Rinea Hall.
In the suffocating stillness, Edwin stood frozen in place.
A few steps ahead, Lunaris lay sprawled on the floor.
She was limp and wheezing, Piyuupuhuu—just a tiny, pitiful kid through and through.
...How could someone like that cast such magic?
The pillar of starlight that had just ripped through the night sky and crashed down was still vivid on his retinas.
Was it really right to classify that as merely high-tier magic...?
Having just seen the power of the magic golem, against which intermediate magic and below had been completely useless, he felt that even more keenly.
To erase a being like that in a single blow, ordinary high-tier magic would not be enough.
But calling it supreme-tier magic was also questionable, since there had been no sign of any spirit being summoned.
Even if, by some miracle,
Lunaris really could cast supreme-tier magic without summoning a spirit.
Edwin could not accept that.
No, he did not want to accept it.
That little brat, who was nothing more than a first-year academy student just like him...
was already on the verge of earning the title of archmage?!
Edwin's fingertips tightened.
A descendant of the magical noble house of Count Belka.
The steadfast pride that he had never once been outdone by anyone his own age was crumbling.
At the entrance ceremony, he had thought the evaluation had been wrong.
During the magic exchange tournament, he had thought that, for now, he'd be behind, but if he kept working hard, he could one day catch up to that lazy magician.
“Is that... really talent?”
Now, the feeling that no matter how much he struggled, he would never reach her weighed heavily on his heart.
Edwin clenched his teeth.
He tasted the metallic tang of blood inside his mouth.
*
“Lady Miriel! That was... truly, truly wonderful!”
“From the exquisite enchantment magic to the clean magic barrier! Every single one of them felt so refined...!”
“Are you hurt anywhere? Maybe from the aftereffects of that mana...”
The moment the magic golem vanished, students came rushing down into the basement.
Some of them surrounded Miriel and fussed over her.
Amid the flood of concern and praise, she only smiled calmly, looking a little tired.
“I'm fine. Still, it's been a while since I moved my body like this.”
Even as she said that, Miriel's gaze remained fixed on one place.
Lunaris. No one could deny that she had played the biggest role in resolving this incident.
Just looking at her made the corners of her mouth want to rise on their own.
‘She wasn't just talented at magic.’
Not only was she skilled at magic, she also had an uncanny charisma that drew people in.
The fact that she had dashed into the basement without the slightest hesitation while everyone else—even the princess, even herself—was panicking and floundering showed that her decisiveness was no ordinary thing.
‘If only I could introduce that girl to Father... No, if I could introduce her to the Second Prince myself...!’
As expected, Lunaris was talent she could not afford to miss.
‘We'll be seeing each other often.’
The smile at the corners of Miriel's lips deepened.
There was someone quietly watching her hungry gaze from upstairs.
It was none other than Princess Celestina.
The princess stood there as if time itself had stopped, frozen in place.
Her violet eyes took in Miriel and Lunaris in turn.
A mix of emotions crossed her face. A little jealousy, and a little envy.
And with that came a spoonful, no, a ladleful, of admiration.
It had been a long time since the magic golem vanished, but the princess's—no, the girl's—heart was still pounding too fast to control.
‘What on earth was that magic I just saw?’
Would it feel like this if the hero she'd only ever seen in picture books as a child appeared in reality?
Thinking of that dazzling, overwhelming beauty made her feel a dizzying awe.
Princess Celestina found herself cautiously reaching out toward Lunaris.
If she took a step here, she could reach her.
Perhaps this was the best chance she'd ever get.
If she went down the stairs, supported those small shoulders, and simply told her she'd worked hard, that she'd truly been amazing...
But her feet would not move.
Did she even have the right to do that?
What had she actually done in that crisis?
Under everyone's fearful gazes, she had only managed to squeeze out a clumsy bit of courage.
She had pushed only idealism, without any proper plan.
Rather than calming the chaos, she'd ended up clashing with Miriel and, in the end, dumping everything on Lunaris.
In this situation, what face could she possibly show Lunaris with?
How could she possibly walk up to her so shamelessly?
‘I understand why she's avoiding me...’
Princess Celestina's arm fell limply to her side.
She realized anew that she was only a Belhart in name, and ultimately utterly powerless.
What's more, when Lunaris asked the other students for help, she hadn't even spared Celestina a single glance.
The white hand she had clenched tightly trembled.
It was too humiliating to go over there, but she couldn't just retreat like this either.
If she turned her back here, it felt like she'd be leaving far too many things behind.
And so Princess Celestina stood there dazed for a long while, only moving her lips.
*
After the magic golem vanished, I stayed sprawled on the floor for a while.
My whole body was sore. This is what happens when you overdo magic, after all.
Still, compared to a few months ago, when I went wild in the forest and couldn't even move a finger afterward, this wasn't that bad.
This is why practical experience matters. Thanks to the daily WWE with the maids and a magical duel with the dean of the magic department once a week, I'd grown in my own way.
I watched the assistant professors and the maids finally rush down into the basement and make a commotion, then abruptly sat up.
Come to think of it, I couldn't keep lying here any longer.
I wanted nothing more than to sleep through the whole day, but there were too many reasons I couldn't.
If I fell asleep like this, dust would get into my nose and my lungs would be ruined. And if I slept on this cold stone floor, my back would be absolutely wrecked too.
Above all, there was still the most important cleanup left to do.
Why the hell had I gone through all this trouble?
I picked up the crystal fragment scattered on the floor. It had broken off from the golem's core.
Though it was barely bigger than a pebble, it would still be enough to extract the mana residue left in the core.
I staggered along, following the lingering trace of mana.
Before long, I found Senior Estelle unconscious amid the collapsed wall.
“Haa...”
I had expected as much, but Senior Estelle really was the culprit.
The one fortunate thing was that she hadn't done this deliberately with malicious intent.
She was just an 'ordinary' magical engineer who had merely failed while trying to make an incredible magic tool.
No wonder something felt off. With that personality, there was no way she could be a villain.
Naturally, these behind-the-scenes details never appeared in the original work.
They were probably too busy focusing on the protagonist Kyle to bother with the backstory of someone who would leave both the academy and the novel once the episode ended.
I squeezed out the last handful of mana I had left and used telekinesis magic to gently lift Senior Estelle's body.
Still, I was glad I'd lain there long enough to recover at least a little mana. Though I had no idea how long even that would last.
Senior Estelle felt a little heavy.
I didn't know if that was because I was exhausted, or because she carried so much weight in her everyday life.
*
Before long, Senior Estelle, floating in midair, opened her eyes with a groan.
“...Luna...?”
I had no strength to answer that weak voice, so I just kept walking in silence.
“W-What happened...?”
“Well... nothing really happened.”
At my perfunctory answer, Senior Estelle gave a weak laugh.
“Nothing happened? Just looking at your condition, it seems like a whole lot happened.”
I said nothing and only quickened my pace.
If I started complaining that too much had happened, that I was exhausted, I'd have too many things to add after that.
An awkward silence passed.
Only the sound of the night wind and the distant murmur of people lingered in my ears.
Before long, Senior Estelle spoke again.
“...Ah. So I failed after all.”
A regretful voice slipped out with a self-mocking sigh.
“I wanted to make a really amazing golem... and show it off to everyone... especially to you, Luna. I really wanted to show it to you.”
Senior Estelle smiled weakly and stared blankly at her own hands.
“I know. That you're far more talented than I am. The reason I was able to finish this golem so quickly was because I drew a lot of inspiration from the magic circles and circuit designs you came up with.”
I gave a small sigh inwardly.
Sure enough, the reason this happened a year earlier than in the original was ultimately my fault.
Because I came to the magic engineering department instead of the magic department.
And because I came here and started making a fuss, saying I'd develop modern conveniences for a comfortable lazy life.
...Even so, senior, isn't that a bit much?
Even if you took inspiration from what I made, how did you manage to bring the golem restoration forward by a whole year?
As expected, this person's talent was the real thing.
“Still... for now, I'm your mentor, aren't I?”
So I wanted to remain a proper artisan, at least in front of you.
Senior Estelle murmured under her breath.
“Even without making something like this, Senior Estelle is already amazing.”
“Ahaha. It's fine, Luna. You don't have to comfort me like that.”
“I don't say empty words. I'm not even the type to do that.”
Senior Estelle flinched and looked at me.
“The practical ideas that aren't in the magical engineering knowledge or theory books you taught me really help a lot.”
“Ah, that much is something anyone could...”
“More than anything, what mattered most was that you got me interested in magical engineering itself.”
If it had been boring, I would have just half-assed it and quit.
But it turned out to be more fun than I expected.
It wasn't for nothing that I got so absorbed in magical engineering practice that I lost track of time.
“I have so many things I want to make.”
On my own, I'm too lazy to make them all.
“So don't make weird stuff like golems all by yourself in secret. Work with me.”
“...”
“I need you, Senior Estelle.”
Soon, I heard sobbing beside me.
“Luna... nghk, Lunaaaa...”
As if all the emotions she'd been holding back had burst out at once, she couldn't even string together a proper sentence.
In a choked voice, she just kept calling my name over and over.
In the end, Senior Estelle began crying aloud like a child.
Then she thrashed around in midair and buried her face in my chest.
“W-Wait, Senior... I can't breathe...”
But Senior Estelle only hugged me even tighter and finally knocked me backward.
Listening to her sobs, I let out a quiet sigh.
“Th-That's all fine and good, but just don't blow your nose on my clothes...”
“Pffft—!”
“...Haa.”