Chapter 47: Aftermath, A Renewed Closeness, and an Unexpected Turn

“Don’t be so discouraged. Magicians aren’t known for their one-on-one combat skills. There’s no reason to dwell on the outcome of a match against a Reinforcement Magician, especially one who specializes in close combat.”

“Exactly! And he was supposed to be the strongest Reinforcement Magician, so of course he was strong! If it weren’t for him, you definitely would have won!”

Miner and Soine offered words of comfort, though Sayo wasn’t particularly discouraged. Still, she appreciated their attempt to cheer her up.

“Kierre, was it? He’s incredibly unpleasant. Especially that last part, hugging you and groping you… How despicable.”

“He’s truly unbearable. Touching a girl’s body so casually… Does he think he can do whatever he wants just because he’s handsome and somewhat skilled?”

Euru and Nell joined in, criticizing Kierre. Nell, usually soft-spoken and hesitant, spoke quickly, her words fueled by indignation. As Sayo had said, she wasn’t discouraged.

“I’m really fine, so please calm down. Whatever his intentions, he did catch me before I fell.”

“He made you fall in the first place! It was clearly intentional. He looked shady from the start, probably planning it all along.”

“I agree.”

Kierre was a shady and unpleasant character, but weren’t they overreacting a bit? Sayo felt a warmth spread through her chest, seeing them so riled up on her behalf. Nell, Euru, Soine, Miner… their concern had chased away the lingering discomfort from her encounter with Kierre. ‘They’re all such good people. Too good for me.’

Sayo felt a gaze and turned to see Kierre watching her. When their eyes met, he smirked, waving at her and mimicking the gesture of grabbing her waist.

‘…Knowing he’s a shady character, I’m not even angry. I just feel… nothing.’ Still, slightly annoyed, Sayo turned away, ignoring him and heading back to her friends. ‘…Maybe I’m just irritated by his handsome face.’

With the sparring session over and nothing else to do, Sayo reviewed her match against Kierre.

As a typical Magician, Sayo was at a disadvantage against a Reinforcement Magician like Kierre in a one-on-one fight. Kierre was supposed to be slightly stronger than Sayoreinne—and therefore, Sayo—so the outcome wasn’t surprising. That’s why Sayo wasn’t discouraged. However, even considering the inherent disadvantage, she’d lost too easily. It should have been a closer match.

‘Is the problem my lack of practical experience? Or am I too used to sparring with Euru, who’s still relatively unskilled as a Reinforcement Magician?’

Students could request sparring matches outside of class time, under the supervision of instructors or assistants. Sayo had been aware of this but hadn’t bothered, too preoccupied with magic practice. That had come back to bite her. Kierre had moved skillfully in close combat, suggesting he’d been sparring regularly. Sayo didn’t know whether he’d practiced at the academy or elsewhere, but the difference in experience was significant.

‘No, that’s not the point.’ She was getting sidetracked. She needed to focus on reviewing the match itself.

Her first spell had been Ice Field, a favorite tactic against Euru. It restricted the opponent’s movement while allowing Sayo to instantly cast ice magic using the mana embedded in the ice. She hadn’t expected it to be as effective against Kierre as it was against Euru, but his superior balance and mana control had rendered it almost useless. Having wasted her crucial opening move, she’d been at a significant disadvantage.

Next, she’d tried to disrupt Kierre’s balance with a gust of wind and attack with ice spikes. But Kierre had used ‘Release,’ a Reinforcement Magician technique, to negate the wind and easily deflected the ice spikes with his sword. Panicked by his rapid approach, Sayo had used a weaker spell than she should have. ‘I was so critical of that Spirit Magician earlier, and now I’ve made the same mistake, using a weak wind spell and getting countered.’ She felt pathetic.

Her next move had been a decent reaction, but… by that point, the match was already lost. Kierre had closed the distance without taking any damage. While preparing her next spell, Sayo had manipulated the Ice Field, creating a pillar beneath her to launch herself into the air. Kierre had sensed the mana movement and cut down the pillar, but that brief moment had given Sayo enough time to prepare her spell.

Compressing and exploding the air to create distance hadn’t been a bad idea, but Kierre had anticipated it and likely used ‘Reinforcement’ to anchor himself to the ground, preventing him from being blown back. That had allowed him to close the distance again and subdue Sayo, ending the match.

‘It ended so quickly that there’s not much to review.’ Sayo had been trying to convince herself she wasn’t bothered, but she felt a little dejected.

Reinforcement Magicians used mana differently than Magicians. Magicians needed to transform their mana into spells to unleash its power, but Reinforcement Magicians could exert great force with raw mana alone, even shaping it into solid or sharp forms.

‘Reinforcement’ involved gathering mana within the body, then combusting it to enhance physical abilities or to repel or adhere to surfaces upon contact.

Kierre had demonstrated the power of Reinforcement effectively in their match. He had used it to adhere to the ice, preventing him from slipping and allowing him to move normally. He had also used it to anchor himself against the force of the explosion.

All Reinforcement Magicians could use both Reinforcement and Release, but they usually specialized in one or the other. Kierre excelled at both. Combined with his reaction speed, physical abilities, mana perception, and swordsmanship, he was incredibly powerful. ‘He’s practically cheating,’ Sayo thought, but she couldn’t complain, as her own magical abilities were top-tier. Two individuals at the pinnacle of their respective fields had clashed, and it had ended in a disappointing anticlimax, proving how much Sayo still had to learn.

‘I have a long way to go…’ Having only sparred with Euru, who was still inexperienced as a Reinforcement Magician, had given Sayo a false sense of confidence. It boiled down to a lack of practical experience. Besides improving her abilities, she needed to gain more experience. ‘I need to become more adept at facing both magical beasts and humans.’ ‘I’ll think about how to do that later…’ Most of the students had finished their matches, and it was getting dark. It was time to head back to the dormitory.

‘Come to think of it, I was so critical of that Spirit Magician for losing so quickly… but I finished even faster, didn’t I?’ The thought made Sayo’s face flush with embarrassment. ‘Good thing I didn’t say anything out loud…’

Ahrin greeted Sayo as she entered the dormitory. It was almost dinner time, but… Sayo felt exhausted. The match had been short, and she hadn’t exerted much mana or physical energy, but she must have been more nervous facing Kierre than she realized.

She collapsed onto the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling. Ahrin approached.

“You look tired. Would you like a massage?”

“Please.”

Sayo let Ahrin take over.

“Mmm…” As Ahrin massaged her back, Sayo couldn’t suppress her moans. She was too tired.

“Nn…” ‘That’s my moan, but… it sounds kind of… suggestive.’

Sayo turned over after the back massage. Ahrin’s face was flushed.

“…”

“…”

‘Well, it would be strange if she didn’t react to those moans.’

Sayo tried to act nonchalant as she lay there, but maintaining eye contact with Ahrin while getting a massage felt awkward now.

“I-I’ll continue, My Lady.”

“Okay…”

Ahrin’s voice trembled, and her face was still flushed. She was clearly flustered by Sayo’s earlier moans. With a mixture of apprehension and anticipation, Sayo prepared herself for Ahrin’s touch.