Chapter 48: Change (3)

Half a day.

That was how long it took for Cecilia to feel the flow of nature, resonate with the spirits, and even issue simple commands.

……Even as I said it, I wanted to ask myself what kind of nonsense that was.

It seemed that Professor Windy May felt the same way, since she spent the whole day just sitting there absentmindedly watching us.

‘Well, I guess it was only natural.’

A talent unprecedented in history.

That was the phrase that always followed the name Cecilia Everglenn.

If one recalled the fact that even dragons, and even the ancient dragons who were worshiped as gods, could barely contract with one or two spirit kings at most, yet she had managed to command three and summon them simultaneously, it made even more sense.

It was a talent so enormous that even the word overwhelming felt insufficient.

If only there had been the right trigger, she could have bloomed magnificently at any moment.

‘Then did I, unintentionally, become that trigger?’

At that strange thought, I unconsciously let out a sharp breath.

Now that I thought about it……

Her growth didn’t just astonish those who witnessed it—it inspired a kind of fear and reverence.

In fact, even if it was only for a brief moment, I wondered whether I had done something unnecessary, whether I had made a mistake.

“Hoo.”

Anyway, this was a decent start.

If there had been any problems, Professor Windy May would surely have stepped in.

But instead of doing that, she had even encouraged Cecilia to continue, so it seemed there was nothing wrong.

‘And besides…….’

Spirit arts particularly depended not only on the practitioner’s abilities but also on their mental state.

That was the part I had been most worried about.

Cecilia was more unstable than the image I remembered of her; she was lonely, awkward in her relationships with others, and not merely indifferent.

On top of that, perhaps because of everything that had happened, she had shown a tendency to rely on me.

That was why I couldn’t help but worry that things might go wrong.

But fortunately, she showed me that my worries were unfounded.

Though she had first appeared timid and anxious, she soon threw herself into her training with a much more proactive attitude.

Thanks to that, she managed to finish the day by making contracts with several spirits, even if they were just natural spirits.

Normally, recklessly contracting spirits was something a spirit sorcerer should avoid due to limits of capacity and burden…… but that rule didn’t seem to apply to Cecilia.

I knew that well, and so did Professor Windy May, who also didn’t stop her.

……But looking back, perhaps it would have been better if we had.

― Squeak. Creak.

At the sound right next to my ear, I hushed quietly.

“We’re in class.”

― Creak creak.

Scolded, the creature let out a dispirited noise and climbed down from my shoulder onto the desk.

A shiver ran down my arm, but I forced myself not to react.

Cecilia had told me that it was a timid one, and since it had once been harshly scolded by me, it found me intimidating.

― Squee……

I looked down at the spider making its weak little sound.

It was one of the natural spirits Cecilia had contracted.

It was the very same spider I had seen that day in the library.

Though it was much smaller than before.

With a small slip of paper clutched in its mandibles, it kept glancing at me nervously.

I pretended not to notice and tried to focus back on class.

“……To put it simply, it’s like this. As you all know, training the body is always helpful, isn’t it? Even if it sounds a bit crude, no matter how skilled a fighter is, overwhelming strength will always force them back. Moreover, strengthening the body is useful not only in combat but in all kinds of things. Likewise, training the mind follows the same logic.”

The elderly professor, with his weathered appearance, spoke slowly and steadily.

Thanks to that, I had to struggle to keep myself from nodding off.

“Especially, why do we emphasize training the mind…… Of course, it is to raise one’s own capacity, but also to guard against external threats. Yes, that’s right. To resist the arts that shackle the mind, control one’s reason, and further seize one’s psychology…… that is why.”

While listening to the professor’s words, I felt something tapping the back of my hand again.

It was the spider.

It was urging me, as if telling me to hurry and read the note and reply.

With no other choice, I unfolded the slip.

In neat handwriting, it read:

[Note]

“……”

What was this.

How was I supposed to react to this.

Thinking of Cecilia, who had insisted she wanted to take this liberal arts class with me yet still chose to sit far away by herself, I scribbled a reply on the back of the slip.

[Reply]

“Here.”

― Squeak!

The spider snatched the folded note as if it had been waiting for it and began crawling straight toward Cecilia.

Creeping, crawling.

I found myself staring, oddly fascinated by its movements, before turning my attention back to the professor’s lecture.

The class was nearly at its end.

“Techniques that affect the mind exist in every field. Even the priests’ Miracle of Elevation or the wizards’ Dispel, strictly speaking, are techniques that influence the mind. But the ones I mentioned earlier… those with devastating results and terrifying effects cannot even be compared to these. Yes, for example… there was Tobrida of the Eight Demon Lords, whom the Wolpen Knights faced.”

The Eight Demon Lords.

It was a term that referred to the eight great demons who had led the demons during the Continental War.

Each one had been nothing short of a catastrophe, and it was said that even alone, each possessed enough power to destroy an entire nation.

And every last one of them had been defeated by the Wolpen Knights, which was why records and accounts of them had been preserved in great detail to this day.

The Tobrida the professor had just mentioned…

In other words, Tobrida of the Mirage, was a demon said to be well-versed in mental magic and spells.

He was known to have turned allies against each other, making them see one another as enemies until they destroyed themselves.

Beyond that, he was also said to have enslaved others by shackling their reason, forced them to take their own lives, or deceived them into misperceiving the terrain and environment around them.

Or else.

He had cunningly.

Erased.

A person’s.

Memory.

So that they.

Could not even.

Recall it.

“Ugh…!”

Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed through my head, and I groaned.

It was similar to what I had felt before, but far more agonizing.

‘…What was that?’

For a moment, I wondered if there was something I had forgotten, but I quickly shook the thought away.

‘…It must just be because the subject matter is so unsettling.’

Daaang! Deng!

The booming sound of bells rang out, signaling the end of class.

“Hmm, already time? Anyway, the point I wished to leave you with is this: to strengthen the mind, do not neglect meditation, self-suggestion, and inner contemplation. The rest will be for next time.”

That concluded today’s class.

But after this, I still had the continuation of yesterday’s training with Cecilia waiting for me.

As I packed my things, planning to head back together with her, the spider that had climbed onto my shoulder poked at my cheek with a slip of paper.

[I’ll go wait ahead.]

So it was written in neat handwriting.

The polite “yo” at the end had been scribbled out with lines, as if erased by habit.

After checking the note, I glanced around the room.

It seemed she had already left the classroom.

“Heh.”

For a moment, I felt drained, but I understood why she acted that way.

It must have been because she herself, and even those around her, had been harassed by spirits all this time.

And then there was that offhand remark Professor Windy May had made to me: “Cecilia is considerate, but she’ll probably make a lot of blunders.”

‘Well, she hadn’t been the type to blend in with others in the original world either.’

It was best to adapt to her pace until she could accept things on her own.

It was just as I stepped out of the classroom with the spider still perched on my shoulder that it happened.

“You’re Lian of the Gwendil family, right?”

Someone was waiting for me.

The first thing I noticed was his red hair.

But it was distinctly paler than that of the person I already knew.

“My name is Kyren Amiel.”

Kyren Amiel.

The legitimate heir of the Amiel family.

Allen Amiel’s half-brother.

He had been waiting for me.

“If you don’t mind, could we talk for a moment?”

On the surface, both were count families, but the Gwendil family and the Amiel family were worlds apart.

The Amiel family, despite being a count house, wielded great power.

They had served the imperial family for generations and produced outstanding individuals many times, making them one of the so-called noble lineages.

Most importantly, members of their family had, for generations, held the position of Imperial Guards.

In other words, they were a family favored by the Emperor himself.

The fact that Cecilia remembered their name was proof enough of that.

The Gwendil family, on the other hand, was short in history and lacked prestige…

In crude terms, it was a count family in name only.

“……”

In short, he and I originally had no reason to be connected at all.

Which was why I could already guess the reason he was waiting for me.

Allen.

It was almost certainly because of him.

“I thought you’d be more flustered, but it seems you’re not.”

As we walked slowly together, Kyren suddenly spoke.

“Do I really look that calm? I’ll have you know, I’m actually very flustered inside.”

“I think I can guess why. You’re probably wondering how I knew to wait for you, or how I knew your name, right?”

When I nodded, he replied nonchalantly.

“It’s nothing to brag about, but I’ve got quite a lot of friends. There’s even a guy who’s already working as a teaching assistant despite not having graduated yet… so it wasn’t hard to find out.”

“You must have some pretty important business with me to go to all that trouble.”

“Well, you could say that.”

He shrugged, unbothered by my sharp reply, then gestured subtly for me to look down over the railing.

I followed his motion and glanced below.

There, as always, was Allen, training with a wooden sword.

Still as clumsy as ever.

Yet for those who knew of his effort, it wasn’t something to laugh at.

After watching him briefly, I gave a slight nod and looked back at Kyren Amiel.

“Well, then.”

He stared straight at me with an unreadable gaze.

A soft smile lingered at the corners of his lips.

“I think I already know why you called me here.”

“Really?”

“You probably wanted to tell me something like this: I keep hanging around that guy, but I should think wisely, because if I stick with him, something bad might happen to me too. Isn’t that the advice you were going to give me?”

“Hahaha! That’s not advice, that’s a threat.”

At my reply, he burst into laughter, as if genuinely amused.

Honestly, it was a reaction I hadn’t expected at all.

After laughing for a moment, he gestured for me to calm down and spoke again.

“I just… well, yes. Like you said, I came to give you advice.”

“And if I brush it off lightly, that would upset you, senior?”

“Not at all.”

He answered with an open and straightforward manner.

It was completely different from how he had seemed before.

“Even if you ignore my advice, what can I do? People always decide who they want to associate with after seeing and experiencing things for themselves.”

Kyren frowned slightly as he looked at me.

“Ah, just so you don’t misunderstand, I’m not mocking you or talking in circles—I mean it. Being trapped by prejudice or judging only from rumors… I really hate that kind of thing.”

He pursed his lips and shrugged.

The way he acted was so likable and easygoing that I wondered if he was the same person I had seen before.

“As I said earlier, I only came to give you advice. You know how, even if it’s a complete stranger, if you see someone in danger, you instinctively want to help? It’s like that.”

“……”

“But I guess I was in too much of a rush, and I ended up being a bit rude. Thinking about it now, I wouldn’t even have an excuse if you said I was just picking a fight for no reason.”

Then suddenly, he bowed his head to me.

Yet another unexpected gesture.

“Sorry about that, junior. I showed up out of nowhere and started spouting strange things.”

“……No, it’s fine.”

“Haha! You don’t look fine at all.”

He answered slyly and gave a nod.

“Anyway, I really do mean it when I say I’m sorry. Sorry for suddenly appearing and badmouthing your friend. Sorry for saying things that made no sense. Sorry for snooping around behind your back.”

But still…

“My coming here to give you advice was also sincere, so I hope you won’t just dismiss it.”

He whispered.

“You really must not get close to that guy.”

Kyren Amiel.

He muttered those words while gazing down at his half-brother with eyes filled with both disdain and disgust.

And within that gaze, I caught sight of another faint emotion.

“……”

It was fear.

“Lian?”

“You’re working hard, I see.”

I approached Allen, who was still swinging his wooden sword, dripping with sweat, and greeted him.

“Well, since we ran into each other like this…”

Kyren Amiel.

I had no intention of distancing myself from Allen, as Kyren wanted.

Like he had said himself, people decided who to associate with only after seeing and experiencing for themselves.

“Want to hang out together this time? You know, we could go check out that merchant group the demons brought along.”

I thought the Allen standing in front of me wasn’t such a bad guy.

More than that, I had already decided to help him.

‘And if I were to add another reason…’

Kyren Amiel.

It was also because I sincerely didn’t like him.

‘How arrogant.’

Who did he think he was, speaking down to me so casually the very first time we met?

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