I Realized It Was an Academy Game After 10 Years

The battles of wizards inevitably accompany a struggle of numbers.

It was the fundamental principle of magical combat taught from the first year at Kalon Academy, a phrase that all wizards must memorize.

Elisa strained to remember the phrase she had learned two years ago as she looked ahead.

“It’s a bone.”

A witch adorned with lamps all over her body said. Elisa tried to tear her gaze away from the grotesque witches and focused on the enemy she had to face.

‘Just looking at it gives me chills…’

A skeleton with blue eye sockets.

The skeletal figure, brandishing a staff to assert its identity as a wizard, opened its jaw.

[I’ve got plenty of excellent research materials!]

“Re, research materials?”

[It’s very rare to have beings with such unique magical power all gathered in one place. I should thank my observer.]

The skeleton clicked its jaw and let out a sinister laugh. It was a joyful laugh, but to the witches, it was nothing but an annoying sound.

“It’s an unpleasant bone.”

The flowers on Flora’s body bloomed all at once.

The sight of the colorful flowers blooming resembled a scene from a fairy tale, but as the flowers began shooting magic at the skeleton, that admiration quickly scattered like petals.

Fire.

Water.

Wind.

Lightning.

Earth.

Numerous attributes of magic poured forth towards the enemy. Other witches followed suit and unleashed their own spells.

If a brawl is a matter of having a numbers advantage, then it’s simple to beat down the enemy with that superiority. The witches, having practiced this simple truth, soon stopped casting spells and glared at the skeleton now enveloped in smoke.

[Oh. That’s quite a sting of magic.]

“Sting? What a shame.”

Flora remarked as if she was not disappointed at all.

‘I was hoping to end this quickly, but it’s more powerful than I expected.’

The witches were not lacking in skill. Half of them could freely wield first-grade magic.

It was just that the skeleton was unexpectedly strong.

[Ah, conversation is a continuous exchange. Since I received first, it’s now my turn to give.]

The lich, Rick, who had lived in the observer’s storage for ages, extended his hand forward. His white finger shone coldly in the sunlight.

“W, what an incredible amount of magic…”

Elisa trembled from the chill she felt despite being dozens of meters away. She had guessed this would be a tough opponent, but she never expected him to be skilled enough to turn a plain into a field of white.

[Oh.]

“This is quite cold! Is this what winter is like?”

Inside the chilly plain, a heated voice penetrated Rick’s ears. Naturally, his gaze shifted to the massive male figure standing out among the witches.

[Oh, a blacksmith among wizards. A curious combination.]

“Hahaha! Does it look that way?”

Vulcanus chuckled while resting his hammer on his shoulder. It was his favorite hammer.

“I’ll take the lead, so you all aim for a big hit!”

Like a buffalo charging at its enemy, Vulcanus slammed his feet to the ground. Naturally, Rick’s attention was drawn to him.

The aura emanating from Vulcanus was anything but ordinary.

[Hmph. I despise sheer ignorance.]

“Haha! So do I!”

Rick flipped his palm upwards, raising his fingers.

At the same time, an ice barrier rose from the ground, reminiscent of a castle wall. It was an enormous spell that one wizard alone could hardly manage.

The witches admired Rick’s magic while starting to chant spells to break through.

[That was careless; I should have cast my spells faster.]

“Haha! Let’s have some fun!”

The collision of Vulcanus’s hammer and Rick’s barrier erupted in a shockwave.

“Quite impressive!”

[I never thought I’d meet someone who could crack my shield with a hammer. How interesting!]

The clash between a blacksmith and a wizard, an uncommon combination, took place in a bloodbath that would determine the fate of the world. Coincidentally, because Rick personally blocked the witches’ approach, they would have to engage in one-on-one fights for a while.

“Let’s have some fun!”

The hammer held by Vulcanus began to enthusiastically strike the barrier.

——————-

“Little witch. Are you ready to cast special magic?”

At Flora’s words, Elisa hesitated before nodding her head.

The special magic practiced under Hecate’s guidance.

The time had come to use it to annihilate the enemy.

The scattered witches began to converge around Elisa in a circular formation. It was a movement considering the principle of symmetry in magic.

Once all the witches had taken their places, they fixed their gazes on Elisa.

“We’ll supply the magical power, so focus on completing the spell.”

At the words of an unknown witch, Elisa nodded with determination.

The training she had undergone for this moment.

Elisa clasped her hands in front of her chest and bowed her head. It was a position akin to prayer, yet it was her own prepared stance for the incantation.

‘Incantation is ultimately a manifestation of will…’

Hecate’s teaching.

“Hecate-”

The first phrase.

The witches extended their hands toward Elisa during her incantation. Their magical powers interwoven like spider silk reached out toward Elisa. Delicate blue threads began to wrap around her body.

If it weren’t for the war, everyone would be watching in admiration.

Yet no one present could utter a word, knowing that a moment’s distraction would cancel the spell.

“May your offspring wish for-”

The witch.

Such a heavy name.

As if trying to disturb Elisa’s incantation, nightmares from the past resurfaced.

[No, a witch… She can’t be my daughter!]

[Die!]

Is it the father?

The mother?

Or both?

Nightmare memories from a faint recollection clawed at her ankles, creeping up as if to taunt her. The trauma that had returned to prepare the witch’s magic.

Yet Elisa remained unfazed.

[No matter the birth, it doesn’t represent the person.]

Didn’t Karina say that?

A person’s lineage does not define them.

Elisa still remembered those words.

That’s why she didn’t succumb to the nightmares of the past.

“To all beings, a fair judgment-”

As the incantation approached its conclusion, the blue threads wrapping around Elisa’s body began to absorb into her. It was the process of gathering magical energy to unleash special magic.

The concentration was noted by Rick, who gasped in admiration.

[Oh. This is a spell I’ve never heard of.]

“Ah! So that’s it!”

[Would you let me? I want to see the new magic.]

“Regrettably, my ‘nephew’ asked me to look after that girl! I cannot grant that request!”

If something were to happen to Elisa, how could Vulcanus face Johann? He waved his hammer while smiling as he rejected Rick.

The countless collisions shook the plain again.

[I have no intention of asking your permission.]

“Huh?”

Vulcanus looked around, trying to find the whereabouts of the lich that had vanished before him. But he couldn’t find Rick.

He had crossed the wall using spatial movement.

“This is troublesome!”

Vulcanus quickly realized that Rick had jumped over the wall and rushed toward it.

However, breaking the wall meant he would always be a step behind.

Rick, appearing from beyond the wall, marveled at the spell that was gradually getting completed.

[This is magic I’ve never seen before. Quite fascinating.]

Normally he’d need to block it, but what of it.

For a wizard, the pursuit of the unknown was more important than life itself.

Rick, adorned with layers of defense magic, observed Elisa. Having firsthand experience with her magic’s might would allow him to gauge its power, but still, the risk was too great.

Without analyzing the magic, he’d be forcibly returned by Vessel.

He couldn’t afford such a loss.

“The moon speaks-”

The incantation raced toward its conclusion. The witches began to lower their hands and retreat, wary of Rick. Most were close to combat incapacity, having almost drained their magical power, but they couldn’t just stand idle.

The witches stood in a line, creating a human barrier in front of Elisa.

[My interest in you has already faded.]

Rick coldly declared that he had no interest in anyone but Elisa. Yet those words didn’t mean that the witches would step aside.

[You may stand aside.]

Rick’s right hand casually moved from right to left.

It looked as if he was waving his hand to dismiss them, but it was instead magic.

The witches were all pushed to the left. The sight of them tumbling over each other as they lost balance was hardly pleasant to look at.

But Elisa couldn’t even afford to worry about the witches.

For good reason,

“-I will return to ash.”

The magic was complete.

[Come!]

The white flame pouring from Elisa began to take the form of a serpent. A flame that seemed ready to burn everything away.

The flaming serpent lunged at Rick like a predatory snake.

[Oh, I’ve never seen magic like this-]

Then, the pillar of flame that would turn everything to ash manifested on the ground.

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