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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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Demons are wicked spirits from another realm.
They tempt humans, leading them astray.
Intangible and immune to conventional attacks, they can only be harmed by three things:
First, divine power.
Second, pure substances.
And third…
Two weeks had passed since the start of the semester.
It felt much longer.
I had been busy.
Too many pampered, arrogant brats at this Academy.
They should focus on coexisting, not on dominating each other.
My duel had set a… precedent, and countless smaller duels had followed.
It was inevitable, with so many egos clashing.
The hospital was always full, students nursing broken limbs.
The initial wave of challengers had subsided.
My reputation preceded me.
Respect, it seemed, was born from fear.
The rumors of my newspaper club raid had spread.
Destroying the newspaper club, a feat even the student council avoided, suggested a hidden power backing me.
Some, however, remained oblivious.
They ended up in the hospital, not the dormitory.
Things had been relatively quiet lately.
A few minor incidents, nothing major.
But this calm felt like the calm before the storm.
Club recruitment was starting, and the dungeon exploration event was approaching.
The demon worshippers, the Devil’s Church, would soon reveal themselves.
River and Amy would have to step up.
“Ugh… another loss.”
“You’re improving. You’re lasting longer.”
“You’re still holding back.”
“Get stronger, then.”
Our morning routine continued. Training, followed by sparring with wooden swords. River hadn’t landed a single hit, but she was lasting longer than the first day, when the duels ended in an instant. After each session, I guided her, analyzing her movements, explaining the psychology of combat. She wasn’t showing dramatic improvement, but her fundamentals were solidifying.
Time for a power-up.
She was building a foundation. Her Aura Blade, still faint, could cut through stone, but it was weak. She needed to be stronger. The difference between a low-level and a high-level Expert was the output of their Aura Blade.
Aura Blade, the symbol of a swordsman, required a balance of mind, body, and spirit. Strength and mana alone weren’t enough. Mages could mimic Aura Blade, but they couldn’t truly wield it. River had the tenacity. With enough physical and spiritual strength, she could easily reach high-level Expert. Beyond that, she had to find her own path.
I would provide the physical boost with potions. I had a few, and there were more to be found within the Academy. They were useless to me now. I’d give them to River.
Thinking about her training reminded me of my own. My strength was a product of the Titan family’s brutal training regime: disgusting potions for height, relentless swordsmanship drills bordering on abuse. An ordinary person would have broken, but I knew the rules of this world. Pain that didn’t kill you made you stronger. The Titans wanted me to grow taller, and so did I. I endured, developing an abnormal resilience. But I never grew taller.
“….”
Amy, who had brought us water, still kept her distance. She needed to get stronger too, but her strange attitude made it difficult to offer guidance. She had refused my help before. Not hostile, but distant, always hovering on the periphery.
I’d focus on River for now.
River, sipping her water, suddenly pointed at something.
“Atlas, what’s this?”
She had seen it. Sharp eyes. She pointed at a large tree. Two clean cuts, too precise to be accidental, were carved into the trunk.
“My height.”
“Your height?”
“Yes. My current height.”
I had another mark in my dormitory. I checked my height every night. Most children stopped doing that, but I hadn’t.
“There are two marks. Did you grow since enrolling?”
“The top one is my goal.”
She pointed at the higher mark. It did look like a growth chart. It wasn’t. The top mark was exactly 150cm.
“And this is…?”
“My current height.”
The lower mark was exactly 149.5cm.
“When did you make these?”
“Right after I arrived. You wouldn’t have noticed. I did it again today.”
“Today? But there’s no new…”
She trailed off, understanding.
“It’s always the same. It never changes.”
“…Sorry for asking.”
She apologized, realizing she had touched a sensitive topic. I didn’t mind. She wasn’t mocking me. She was polite and considerate.
“It’s fine. It’s true. I’m short, and I want to grow taller.”
It was the truth. I was obsessed with it. I didn’t mind being reminded, as long as it wasn’t meant as an insult.
“Just you wait. I’ll be as tall as Russell one day.”
Aura Blade, demons, everything else was secondary. My goal remained unfulfilled. I was still hungry.
The Academy offered both mandatory classes and elective courses. My electives, chosen for their lenient workload, never overlapped with Amy and River’s, who chose courses relevant to their goals. We were always separated during electives.
My current elective was “History of Non-Human Races.” It was a popular course, offering a broad overview, without delving too deeply into specific races. The classroom was diverse, humans, elves, dwarves, and even a few beastkin. They were essentially getting credit for knowing their own history.
Leaving class, I saw something… unsettling.
Amy…?
Three girls walked ahead of Amy, who was carrying their heavy books and equipment. She had just finished “Magical Engineering Theory.” They weren’t friends. Amy looked distressed. I couldn’t tolerate this.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
“What…?”
One of the girls responded, then, noticing me, adopted an exaggerated tone.
“Oh, look who it is. Gotta run before we get scolded. Here you go.”
They snickered, handing Amy her belongings, and turned to leave.
“Haha…”
Amy gave me a bitter smile, a mixture of resignation and… something else.
Had they been doing this behind our backs? Was this why she kept her distance from me?
The thought of someone mistreating her because of me infuriated me.
“Atlas…?”
I walked past Amy, following the girls.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
I kicked the nearest girl’s shin.
-Crack!
“Agh!”
She crumpled to her knees, the thick carpet cushioning the fall, but her swollen shin made it difficult to stand.
“Don’t talk back to me.”
“Ow, ow, ow!!!”
I grabbed her hair, lifting her head. She was taller, but with her on her knees, I had the height advantage.
“You… do you know who I…”
“Who are you? More important than Lemnos?”
“Not really…”
“Then why are you acting like this?”
I was more furious than when they had targeted me. They were not only bullying her, but also mocking me. What gave them the right? Did they really think River and I treated Amy like a pet?
“Where are you going?”
“L-let go…!”
I walked towards the other two, dragging the first girl by her hair. She screamed.
“Still haven’t learned your lesson?”
“We… we didn’t do anything!”
I shook the girl’s head, and she cried out in pain. The other two tried to defend themselves, but it was useless.
“You didn’t stop them.”
I walked over, kicked their shins, and slapped them across their faces. Their smug expressions were replaced by fear.
“Do this again, and I’ll shave your heads.”
“Y-yes…”
“Louder!”
“YES!!!”
They screamed in unison, then scrambled to their feet, about to run, when I noticed the books and equipment they had been carrying.
“Take this, you trash!”
“?!”
I threw everything at them, hitting them in their faces and arms. They gathered their belongings and fled.
Amy spoke hesitantly,
“They’re… seniors… Freshmen are supposed to… carry their things…”
What nonsense. They were just bullying her.
“That’s a lie. If this happens again… No, I’ll be around.”
“Thank you…”
She smiled gratefully. It was a polite, thankful smile, yet it felt… off. The same unsettling feeling I had sensed since the first day. The strange distance between us. I didn’t understand it, but I felt I couldn’t just leave it like this. It was a gut feeling.
“I don’t know your situation.”
“Huh?”
“You keep your distance, but not too much, always hovering nearby. I don’t understand why, but… it’s your choice.”
“I… I’m sorry…”
“Don’t apologize. I don’t know what you think of me, but my feelings haven’t changed.”
She was taller than me. I looked up, meeting her gaze.
“If you’re having trouble, tell me. I’ll help if I can. If you can’t, that’s fine too…”
“Thank you…”
That same melancholic smile. Not the bright smile from the first day.
“I’m… sorry… but it’s… not like that…”
She turned away. But I saw her bite her lip hard enough to draw blood.
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