Crack—
Raen applied a light squeeze of force to his hand, and the binding began to unravel, freeing his left hand in an instant.
Rutess, too, seemed to have reached his limit—his breathing had turned ragged, and any further exchange would have been meaningless.
He had managed to throw up a barrier twice to block the attacks, but Rutess's movements were visibly deteriorating.
Raen deftly formed a Mana Bullet in his right hand and flicked it loose as though snapping his fingers; it thudded squarely into Rutess's chest.
A loud crash followed as Rutess sprawled flat across the training ground.
"Quit the dramatics."
Raen gave a faint smile and glanced at his watch.
"Three minutes, thirty-one seconds. Well done, Rutess."
Brief, but more straightforward than any praise could be—a murmur of admiration rippled through the watching students.
"Th… thank… you…"
Rutess wheezed out his gratitude between labored breaths, and, apparently too exhausted to stand, managed only to roll himself awkwardly to the edge of the floor.
The students laughed at the sight, though they watched him with undisguised curiosity.
"…What's gotten into him? Was he always like this?"
"No, back in second year… he wasn't anywhere near this level."
Not anywhere near—just solidly average.
The image of Rutess that Raen had carried in his memory wasn't far off from what the students were saying.
"I heard he's dating Elline. Must be getting some special training."
Elline.
Raen, who had been drinking a potion, shifted his gaze back to Rutess.
*So it was him.*
Word that Elline Pailless—one of the most gifted prospects in recent memory—had taken a partner had filtered from the students to the faculty through the usual channels.
Raen hadn't paid it much attention, but he simply hadn't known it was Rutess.
"Lucky him. Is that what happens when Elline trains you?"
"She's the top student—stands to reason her teaching would be different."
Having drained the bitter potion, Raen tucked the vial into his bag and looked at Rutess, who was lying spread-eagle on the ground.
*Hmm.*
Raen allowed himself a thoughtful smile.
Whether or not Elline had been training him, magic simply did not grow in the short term—not like this.
There were rare cases where someone with exceptional talent underwent a late mana-awakening and exploded in growth, but those were vanishingly few.
Rutess had spent two years at the academy already. What kind of student he was had long since been established.
So, by Raen's experience, it came down to one of two things.
Either he had been deliberately concealing his true ability for some reason and had only now chosen to reveal it.
*Or.*
He had always had the potential to rise—and was only now doing so.
Either way, it was interesting data.
But now was the time to focus on his own work. Raen looked away.
"Next!"
* * *
Once from Sereen.
Once from Elline.
The two binding spells he had experienced before were different in kind.
Sereen's had turned his entire body to stone in a single instant. Elline's had coiled around specific limbs, binding them in place.
The night after training with Elline, he had looked it up.
"…I see."
Sereen's magic was Petrification.
A spell that momentarily halted the flow of mana within the body, dulling it and tricking the target into falling prey to the binding.
Extraordinarily difficult to cast, but once executed, it rendered the opponent helpless without recourse.
The spell Elline had used was Partial Binding.
A spell that wove mana into a cord and lashed it around a specific part of the body.
"…"
So on Sunday night, he had spent the entire day analyzing both spells.
And as it happened, today's sparring session with Professor Raen had given him the chance to put them to use.
The gap in ability between himself and Professor Raen was obvious—naturally, his strategy would be to hold on as long as possible, pouring everything he had into endurance.
Difficult, of course.
*The left hand.*
Professor Raen's left hand had twitched almost imperceptibly, and a few seconds later a bullet had come flying from a blind spot.
So he had cast the binding on the left hand. It had worked, in the end—but it had been broken free with almost no effort.
*That was rough.*
He lay on his back, staring up at the sky.
With all the mana drained from his body at once, he felt utterly spent—as though every muscle had gone slack and limp.
"Rutess, you were incredible."
The voice came out of nowhere. It was Moltz.
Could he at least give some warning before appearing?
"I was so shocked—three minutes thirty-one seconds, that's the best record anyone's had!"
Moltz was buzzing with excitement as though the record were his own, providing a running commentary from beside him.
"And that last part—that was a binding spell, right? It was amazing. For a second, the professor's whole expression changed."
"…Did it?"
He had been too frantic casting it to catch the professor's face.
"Yeah! I've never seen Professor Raen make a face like that before."
He had always spent Professor Raen's classes hoping to slip by unnoticed.
But facing him head-on—he was strong. And… remarkable.
He had made plenty of mistakes and it had been chaotic, but perhaps the professor had seen something worth noting.
*…*
Watching from a distance had never told him much, but now that he was approaching things with the intention of climbing higher, he could see just how much he lacked.
There were things to fix.
Bang—!
The sharp sounds of fierce exchanges cut through the air, and Raen's rough shouts rang out—but Rutess closed his eyes and quietly began to replay what had just happened, going over it in his own mind.
The class ended, and students staggered out of the training hall.
After saying goodbye to Moltz and working out the stiffness in his body, a shadow fell over him.
"Rutess Liperto."
It was Raen.
"Yes, sir."
"Today's sparring was quite interesting."
"Thank you."
He dipped his head, and Raen seemed even more satisfied, looking him up and down.
Then the corner of his mouth lifted, and he tapped his cane lightly.
"Rutess."
"Yes."
"Are you planning to move up to Alpha Class?"
"I am."
"…Interesting."
"Is it interesting?"
Raen shrugged.
"Students like you catch my attention. In a good way."
"…"
"It's never too late to learn. A fine saying, that. There's no finer sight than someone who was adrift finding a goal and climbing toward it."
"I think you're being too generous."
Raen gave a light laugh and pointed at him with his cane.
"Have you been keeping up with your grades?"
"Not particularly."
"Then this exam will matter."
Rutess nodded at that.
"Third year is genuinely fierce. It's the final year—the end of the academy's instruction—so those who want to rise and those who don't want to fall will be grinding their teeth and competing with everything they have."
Upon graduation, the time spent in Alpha and Beta Class was recorded accordingly, but the emblem on the diploma bore the mark of whichever class you finished in.
That alone carried enough weight. It would probably be the most brutal stretch of the year.
"Do well, Rutess. Of all the students I saw today, you're the one I'm most looking forward to."
"I'll do my best."
"Good."
Raen rose as though the conversation was over, stretched briefly, picked up his cane, and turned to leave.
"Professor."
"Hm?"
"I have a personal question, if you don't mind."
"A question. I'll hear it before I decide."
He seemed to smile with added gravity, then picked up his bag and looked at Rutess.
"Did Elline Pailless ever spar with you?"
"Of course."
He nodded as though it were obvious.
"I was wondering how long she lasted."
It was a somewhat out-of-nowhere question, and Raen appeared briefly at a loss for words—but then scratched his chin with one hand and turned away.
"Ask her yourself."
"Pardon?"
"I've heard the rumors, you see. I'll see you next class."
The rumors had already reached the faculty, then.
Raen gave a casual wave and limped out of the training hall.
Rutess watched his retreating figure for a moment, then looked down at his own hands.
*…Not enough.*
He was still not enough.
And so he had to keep going.
His body still struggled to adjust to the sudden drain of mana, but that wasn't what needed his attention right now.
The corner of the library.
He opened and closed his hand.
Mana stirred, then faded.
The most fundamental and most important practice. Mana Compression and control.
Maintaining constant awareness of mana that couldn't be seen was the beginning of everything—it was not something he could afford to neglect.
"…"
He repeated it.
Tired, exhausted, sweating—he had to keep going.
Two years lost.
He had maintained middling grades, but climbing to the upper ranks in one leap left much to be desired.
And time was short.
He read with one hand while the other continuously compressed and released mana.
He noted down what he didn't understand, and kept his other hand focused on mana.
Sweat gathered, his head grew hot—still he continued.
Again.
Sss—
Fwt—
*That slipped a little.*
Again.
Ssss—
Fwat—
*Too loose.*
Aga—
Thup—
Someone took his hand.
Familiar by now, yet still enough to make his heart leap—he stopped everything in an instant and turned his head.
Eyes that held him entirely, behind a composed expression.
It was Elline.
"…You're here?"
"Yes."
Having come straight from class, Elline set down her things without ceremony and sat beside him.
She glanced over him briefly, as though taking stock.
"Rutess."
"What?"
"Was today's practical with Professor Raen?"
"…Was it that obvious?"
"Yes."
She reached into her front pocket, produced a small handkerchief, and naturally began to wipe his forehead.
She must have known that Professor Raen was the only one who would put someone through that kind of magical exchange.
"How was it?"
"A good experience."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I lasted three minutes thirty seconds—apparently that's the best record."
He mentioned it to her casually, and Elline nodded, listening.
"Well done."
Her praise made his shoulders lift of their own accord.
"And I could see a lot of things I need to work on. Areas I need to improve."
Right. He would work on them.
She seemed to have finished wiping the sweat from his hair and quietly tucked the handkerchief away.
"Rutess."
"Hm?"
Elline looked at him and squeezed his hand firmly.
"Let's rest for a moment."
"A moment…?"
He had expected her to want to study the moment she arrived—resting was unexpected.
But as always, he couldn't refuse Elline's suggestions.
Honestly, he was a little tired too.
"…Alright. Let's do that."
He nodded, and Elline turned her chair away from the desk to face him directly.
Then she turned his chair as well and took his other hand firmly.
Both hands.
With Elline's movements, they had naturally ended up facing each other, both hands clasped together.
In the silence, she spoke.
"Rutess."
"What?"
"Don't be anxious."
"…"
Had he been anxious?
Her voice was so calm that he felt the tension he had been carrying unravel.
…He supposed he had been anxious, now that he thought about it.
"Did it show?"
"…It did."
There was nothing more to say to that.
Instead of continuing the conversation, he tightened his grip on her hands, and Elline responded in kind.
Then they both closed their eyes.
Shhh—
Quiet.
Nothing but the sound of each other's breathing—and yet it was genuinely peaceful.
Minutes passed that felt like hours.
He opened his eyes slightly. Elline still had hers closed, both hands holding his.
…
His heart beat quietly, and his mind settled.
In that moment, a single thought rose to the surface.
Elline.
*What would I be doing right now, if you weren't here?*
He probably would have been lying around, mindlessly happy that class was over.
Lying there, thinking about how to pass the time tomorrow, letting the days slip away.
With a predetermined future already laid out, he would have set everything down and just lived.
The way he had for two years—he would have spent the remaining one just as idly.
If someone asked whether that had been comfortable, he would have honestly said yes.
But he would have been slowly rusting, wasting time.
*Now…*
Now it was hard.
Just as she had said—he was anxious, people picked fights with him, and he was scrambling to keep up.
But he felt like he was living for something.
Anxiety meant there was something he needed to do.
And having something he needed to do was what moved him.
Today, when the binding spell had landed on the professor—clumsy as it was—he had felt a thrill he hadn't felt in a long time.
The pure joy he had felt as a child, the first time he had successfully cast a spell.
How long had it been since he'd felt that.
Busy as it was, having a goal to move toward was genuinely good.
There was one reason he had found that goal.
*Elline.*
It's all because of you.
So I'll… try harder. Thank you, truly.
A few words weren't nearly enough, but even so.
*Thank you…*
She slowly opened her eyes.
Had he been staring too intently, making her uncomfortable?
Even this close, his heart didn't race the way it once had.
But the flutter was still very much there, and he could feel the warmth rising in his face.
He focused as hard as he could to keep his tongue from tripping over itself, and waited for her to speak.
Elline drew his hands gently toward her and whispered.
"…It's been a while since I've done this."
"Oh."
Her eyes. Her gesture.
Understanding what she meant, he slowly closed his eyes.
She pulled his clasped hands toward her, and his body tilted slightly in her direction.
Warmth drew near, and as her breath touched him, a soft pressure landed on his cheek once more.
This time it wasn't fleeting.
It was deeper. More lingering.
Two seconds, perhaps.
His face was burning as though it might burst, but he let his eyes drift open—and Elline was right there in front of him.
"Thank you, Elli—"
"Rutess."
"Hm?"
Elline, still watching him, still holding his hands, said quietly:
"Shall I do it again?"
…
He kept saying it, but.
He couldn't refuse Elline.
"…Please."
He nodded.
And she kissed his cheek once more.
…
Warm and peaceful.
His body trembled, but he tried his best to receive it calmly.
Difficult as that was.
When the kiss ended and she slowly pulled back, he barely managed to exhale.
His voice came out unsteady, and he wanted to change the subject.
"Elline."
"Yes."
"I have something I've been curious about."
Elline tilted her head slightly.
"What is it?"
"…You've sparred with Professor Raen before, haven't you?"
"I have."
"How long did you last?"
He was curious.
If Elline had gone all out, how many minutes would she have held on?
Elline listened to the question, stared at him for a moment, then let go of his hands.
*Was that a sensitive question?*
He looked at her, flustered—but there was no sign of displeasure.
"You want to know?"
"…Yeah. But you don't have to say if it's uncomfortable."
She shook her head.
"It's not that. But there's a condition."
"A condition?"
Reading a hundred pages of a book, maybe?
She slowly raised the hand she had released toward her own face.
She tapped her own cheek lightly, twice.
"Do it."
The noise around them fell away.
"…What?"
"You do it too."
He knew perfectly well what she was asking.
"Then I'll tell you."
Elline's way of speaking still lifted his heart and dropped it again.