Honestly speaking, Kang Sihyun harbored a bit of anticipation. He wasn't entirely convinced about the dormitory assignments, but given the reputation, he expected the classes to be exceptional.
According to Harris, the Delruan Academy had an extraordinary reputation. It was said to be the finest magic academy across the continent, surpassing even the empire in renown, having produced many skilled individuals. Even the owner of the Magic Tower was an alumnus. With such credentials, one would expect the lessons to be stable.
"Aaaaaah!"
Splash!
A student floundered in the lake, the sixteenth one so far. It was Kang Sihyun's turn next. As another student fell into the water, his cold gaze followed them, his face dripping.
So much for normal.
When the magicians saw the expression Harris was anticipating and asked if they knew they were all mad, Sihyun should have realized it then.
"Kaaaaaak!"
Another student plunged into the lake. This school was insane.
They were supposed to learn how to contract with spirits, but instead, they were increasing spirit affinity by dunking perfectly healthy students into water. Elemental spirits apparently needed to be experienced physically to enhance affinity. There might be students contracting with spirits in this lesson, but more seemed likely to end up dead or carried out.
"Pfft! Save me…"
"Hold on! If you pass out, we'll pull you out!"
Look at that. A teacher actually said that.
Sihyun shuddered remembering his own plunge. Harun's poor health meant his body temperature dropped fast when he fell in. It seemed he would die of hypothermia before drowning, when suddenly the water propelled him out without anyone noticing the phenomenon. Even the teacher had casually remarked on Harun's good fortune and moved on. If it weren't for that phenomenon, he would have drowned.
He got out of the water faster than others, but his frail body suffered doubly. He was still shivering and coughing when Harris took off his outerwear and handed it to him. Harun was significantly smaller, so Harris's coat wrapped around him snugly.
"It's okay, Harun? If you feel too bad, let's tell the teacher."
"No need."
What was he going to do, make things worse?
Sihyun realized that if teachers knew you were physically unwell, they assumed it was due to a lack of stamina or resolve and would likely throw you into physical training. Watching a teacher tell a crying student that tears were a way to become closer to the water spirit only cemented his thoughts.
Better to shiver alone than talk to them.
His lips turned blue as he steadfastly refused to bend his stance, prompting a concerned look from Harris, who was then called by name to the front of the lake. Others screamed as they fell, but Harris uttered an odd sound of admiration as he plunged calmly into the water.
Then he didn't resurface.
Uh?
Sihyun shot up from his seat. By now, Harris should have been flailing back to the surface, but he seemed to have disappeared beneath it. No bubbles came up either, which was peculiarly worrying. The other students were just as alarmed, staring at where Harun had vanished and calling for the teacher. That's when it happened.
Whoosh!
A huge pillar of water erupted from the lake, and Harris was soon lifted out by a giant eagle made of clear water. Sihyun was captivated by the surreal spectacle, and the students gasped in awe. The teacher clapped, celebrating Harris's successful spirit contract.
"Congratulations, Harris! You've contracted with a spirit!"
"What?"
"He contracted with a spirit?"
"Is that really a spirit?"
The students' eyes sparkled as they watched Harris land softly on the ground, still cradled by the eagle, and he grinned widely.
"This is fun!"
With that remark, the bustling atmosphere suddenly cooled down. He was the only student who had positively evaluated the lesson. Who else would find a lesson that involved sudden dunking and near-death experiences fun?
"You know, Harun? Magicians are all mad."
Only now could Sihyun fully understand what Harun had meant. It seemed one had to be a bit crazy to become a magician.
I guess I'm not cut out for this.
Sihyun clicked his tongue, regret evident in his expression. Having ended up in a world like something out of a fantasy, he had wanted to learn magic, but it seemed impossible with his sane mind.
And that thought changed within a week of attending the magic school.
"Crazy! The bastard coughed up blood summoning a spirit!"
"Do you have to go that far?"
"He looks like he might die. Hey, someone call the school nurse!"
It was because Sihyun had gone mad too.
"Cough!"
He thought he had coughed up enough, but the acrid smell of blood came up again as he spat blood. Sihyun wiped his mouth, stained red
, and looked at the spirit he had summoned. It looked part snake, part lizard, made of clear water. The spirit, seeming pleased, gently swayed its sharp tail.
The spirit then approached and gently pressed its mouth to Sihyun's hand on the ground.
Whoosh!
A clean energy surged into his body. Realizing this was what they called a contract, Sihyun grinned bitterly as he turned to his roommates, who looked at him in horror.
"Think a bastard like me could summon a spirit?"
"They're polluting our educational environment with their filth."
That was how they had insulted and demeaned him. It was enough to drive anyone mad, being bombarded hundreds of times a day with such comments. Especially when Harris wasn't around, they came to bother him, as if trying to unhinge him completely.
Was there really such a distinction between the nobility and the lowborn in life? He had wanted to beat them up on the spot, but Sihyun knew to be objective. Harun's frail body wouldn't stand a chance if he confronted those boys; he would only get beaten up in return. So instead, Sihyun decided to assert his dominance through talent.
A week into the lessons, and still, only Harris had managed to summon and contract a spirit. The teacher had said it usually took about a month and comforted the disappointed students, but at that moment, Sihyun resolved to summon a spirit no matter what the cost.
That was the only way he could prove himself to those who underestimated him.
Showing a vast difference in talent was the only way to crush their spirits. That was the only revenge Sihyun could take with Harun's body.
And after dozens of attempts, he finally succeeded.
Sihyun looked at his contracted spirit and smiled brightly. The teacher rushed over upon hearing the news, and seeing his surprised eyes and the envious looks from other students, Sihyun lifted the corners of his mouth in satisfaction.
Thump!
His weakened body finally collapsed to the floor.
!!
The spirit, alarmed, rushed to Sihyun, but as the contractor's consciousness faded, so did the spirit's form. Sihyun noticed his vision blurring and vomited blood once more.
Ah.
It seemed he had overexerted himself.
"……"
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he sensed was a harsh, bitter smell assaulting his nose. He grimaced reflexively and sat up to find a rabbit-looking human staring down at him. This wasn't a metaphor. The being looking at him was indeed a rabbit.
Was it a beastman?
Startled, the rabbit in white spoke.
"You're awake, that's good. You're the eldest of the Lawrence family, right? I heard about you, but your condition is more serious than expected. I almost turned human from the stress of treating you. Your body is like a glass jar, and yet you overexerted yourself to the point of vomiting blood. Are you trying to die? If you keep up with the lessons like this, you'll end up dead anyway. Should I start making your coffin now?"
The sharp criticism continued without pause. The cold voice didn't match the rabbit's appearance, and as Sihyun blinked in confusion, the rabbit placed a hand on his face and then poured a bottle of medicine over his head. Glug glug. Sihyun was dumbfounded as he faced the unexpected drenching.
"It's a stability potion. It'll help with recovery."
If that was the case, why not just have him drink it?
As Sihyun expressed his confusion, he quickly came to terms with it, considering what he had experienced so far. Nothing that happened at Delruan Academy was surprising anymore.
Then the door burst open, and familiar faces approached the bed where Sihyun lay. It was Harris, Rodin, and Sion.
"Harun! You're awake!"
Harris rushed over with a thrilled expression. Then Rodin scolded him for being bedridden for two days, asking why he had foolishly overexerted himself when he was already unwell, and Sion wiped Harun's wet face with his large hands. Sihyun listened to their voices and felt their touch, smiling faintly. The boys looked back with complex expressions and sighed.
"I heard everything! Those roommates of yours bullied you! I was so angry I told Rodin about it!"
Harris fumed as he spoke. Sihyun tilted his head, puzzled why Harris would tattle to Rodin, then understood vaguely as Rodin chuckled like a villain.
"That's why I beat them up."
"I helped too."
They had indeed taken physical revenge on his behalf. Sihyun might expect that from Rodin, but he didn't think Sion would participate, and he looked at the calm-faced boy and shook his head. Whether then or now, their nature to rush into action regardless of consequences seemed the
same.
"There was no need for that," he said, and the boys protested, asking what was wrong with them being angrier about the bullying than him. Sihyun's lips curled up at the absurdity, and suddenly he felt a lump in his throat and gripped the blanket tightly.
The familiarity made him yearn all the more.
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