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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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Al Sola.
The undisputed strongest mage on the continent.
Her physical aging had stopped as a side effect of researching magic that halted the passage of time for the body.
Thus, she appeared as a beautiful girl with a striking, fierce impression, characterized by her vibrant red hair.
In terms of magic control, she possessed a talent that no one else on the continent could match.
Her main magic was fire magic, befitting her hair color.
Even the lowest-level magic, like a simple ember, transformed into a meteor-like energy mass when she began chanting.
The biggest factor in driving the hero’s sword through the Demon King’s heart had been the most powerful magic Al Sora could wield: ‘Al Sora’ named after herself.
This magic, said to be the pinnacle of fire magic, was rumored to be impossible for anyone but Al Sora herself to even chant.
According to her straightforward explanation, the official incantation for activating the spell consisted of 95 verses.
Simply adding five supplementary verses to enhance its power resulted in an absurdly long incantation exceeding three digits.
In the final battle, the number of verses Al Sora had chanted had been astounding: 782.
And she had flawlessly recited this incantation in a mere three minutes.
All while facing the formidable enemy that was the Demon King, in a situation where a single misstep could have meant the end for everyone.
The power of magic was primarily determined by the caster’s magical power.
The second factor was the caster’s affinity with the magic being used.
The last, and crucial, factor was the structure and delivery of the incantation.
Basic magic was activated by chanting a predetermined sequence of verses.
The caster could modify the magic by adding verses compatible with that specific spell.
Once the incantation was complete, the magic was executed.
For instance, consider the basic spell ‘Fireball.’
The official incantation for this spell consisted of “Flames of fire” and “Erupt.”
To increase the firing speed of this fireball, one could insert the word “Swiftly” between “Flames of fire” and “Erupt.”
To fire a homing fireball, one could add “Towards the enemy.”
Combining both of the above words would, naturally, result in a fireball possessing both attributes.
In this way, by inserting phrases with specific meanings, magic could be enhanced.
If the meaning became redundant, the caster bit their tongue, lost concentration, or missed even a single word, then the magic would fail, producing nothing but useless black residue.
Imagine the sheer talent of Al Sora, who, amidst a heart-stopping battle and the disorienting environment of the Demon Realm, managed to flawlessly recite 782 verses in three minutes despite her exhausted body and mind.
If simultaneous chanting, a technique exclusive to skilled mages, allowed chanting two syllables at once, then Al Sora’s unique ability enabled her to chant five syllables—perhaps even more—simultaneously.
It was a level unattainable unless one received favor from both gods and demons.
This was why even the arrogant mages, a prideful bunch, had given up on competing with Al Sora.
They revered her, considering her to be in a league of her own.
To adventurer mages, who dealt with the volatile force of magic and were often treated as walking bombs due to the risk of harming their allies, Al Sora was a beacon of light, hope, a living legend.
Well… she would have ended up using a sword if she had followed her original destiny, but whatever.
And so, Al Sora, the living legend of magic, paid a visit to the academy.
Some cadets wondered if there was a particularly talented magic user among the new recruits, while others were simply awestruck.
However, no one dared to approach her unnecessarily.
As mentioned earlier, she was marching through the academy with a face that seemed to hold the world’s fury and a sliver of anticipation.
Her cute appearance did little to lessen the overwhelming feeling that approaching her carelessly would result in certain death.
As Al Sora walked through the academy, a woman caught her eye.
A woman with beautiful golden hair that reflected the sunlight, a pure gold with no other colors mixed in.
It was Rain Garden, the hero.
“Oh? Sora! It’s been a while! What brings you here in person?”
“Ah~ Just came to see a friend’s face. Being stuck in the tower with those stuffy old geezers gets so dull!”
It was a lie.
While it was true that she came to see a friend, that friend was not Rain.
‘Rain Garden.’
For the arrogant and self-centered Al Sora to remember someone’s name was an acknowledgment that the person was special.
But Rain was not her objective today.
If Rain had already met Ron, learned everything, and secured Ron’s affections, perhaps Al Sora would have greeted her warmly.
But that wasn’t the case.
I found him.
I came here.
Ron is here.
And judging by her cluelessness, she hasn’t found him yet.
I found him first.
I won.
During their adventures, there had been a silent competition for Ron’s affections among the female members, a subtle battle hidden beneath the surface.
And that long battle was about to end with Al Sora’s victory.
“Heh.”
“Something good happen?”
“Of course~ Meeting a friend is a good thing, isn’t it~?”
“That’s right. Oh, the new kids are still in the auditorium. Want to see them? They’re not bad.”
“…Were there any particularly special ones?”
“There was a unique one…”
Rain replied, recalling the man wrapped in bandages.
But that was all she said.
It was unclear if she hadn’t noticed anything else or if she simply needed more time to observe, but she offered no further assessment of the man.
“I see. That’s good. Hmm. Alright.”
“Huh? Why?”
“It’s nothing. I’ll have to see them for myself. I need to scout out the promising magic users.”
“Wait until they graduate from the academy.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m just marking my territory.”
Hearing Al Sora’s chuckle, Rain smiled.
The Demon King, the great evil that had threatened the continent, was gone.
Although labyrinths, clusters of monsters, continued to appear beyond the borders, it was a peaceful era unlike any they had experienced before.
And Rain loved this peace.
It allowed her to relax, perhaps a little too much.
“Ron.”
“…What?”
The peace was shattered.
The name she had tried so hard to forget, the name she couldn’t erase from her memory, escaped Al Sora’s lips.
Rain’s expression contorted ever so slightly.
Why would this mage suddenly utter that name?
Could she possibly…
“Did you find out something?”
“…No. I was just asking if you knew anything.”
“Haa… Same as always.”
Al Sora clenched her fist internally, her conviction solidifying.
She told Rain that she would be heading to her office shortly, and then she moved.
Faster than before.
Towards the trail that led to him.
She pushed open the auditorium doors.
“And so— …Uh… Uh…???”
The vice-principal’s words were cut short, replaced by repetitive sounds like a malfunctioning robot.
Beads of sweat erupted on her forehead, cascading down her smooth skin.
Her reaction was understandable.
Al Sora, who usually couldn’t be bothered to even show her face outside the tower, had come to the academy in person.
It would be stranger if the vice-principal wasn’t surprised.
Naturally, Al Sora didn’t even notice the vice-principal’s dumbfounded expression.
She didn’t even glance at the podium, instead sweeping her gaze over the assembled students.
‘Ron.’
A short name.
A name devoid of a surname, but now etched into her very being.
Al Sora chanted his name internally, following his trail.
Her gaze, guided by the faint thread of tracking magic, stopped at one point.
A lean, toned physique.
Jet black hair.
A rose-shaped scar.
A faint burn mark on the neck.
Bandages.
Although his face was concealed by those out-of-place bandages, she was certain.
“It’s really you… I found you…”
It was Ron.
Al Sora wondered why he was standing there as a new student at the academy.
Given his past achievements, he could have easily secured a prominent position on the continent, even if he had simply offered his testimony about their exploits.
But no, it didn’t matter.
She had found him again.
As she instinctively moved to approach him, Sora stopped.
He had asked her not to talk about him, preferring to avoid attention.
Based on his request, she judged that it wasn’t the right time to approach him openly.
She was currently a member of the legendary hero’s party that vanquished the Demon King and eradicated demons, an idol to mages.
She was far from “ordinary.”
As much as she wanted to embrace him, to feel his presence that she had missed for so long, she could easily predict the disastrous consequences of such an action.
If she approached him recklessly and he disappeared again, there would be no recovering this time.
The spell to track a single target was still incomplete, a one-time use.
Moreover, she had used up all the items she had painstakingly gathered—items imbued with traces of his presence.
Furthermore, the faint magical thread was becoming thinner.
It meant that the magic would soon dissipate.
If she missed him here, all her efforts would have been in vain.
While the bandages were a distinctive feature, Ron could easily vanish if he wanted to.
Therefore, she had to approach him when they were alone, or at least when only those who knew his identity were present.
Having made up her mind, Al Sora addressed the cadets and instructors who were staring at her.
“I will be joining the academy as an instructor!”
For some reason, her declaration sounded overly enthusiastic.
However, hearing ron’s muffled response amidst the cheers of the cadets, Al Sora couldn’t help but feel a surge of satisfaction.
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