Subtitle: Left in the Past
Apollo jolted awake as his head bumped against the corner of the carriage seat. Judging by his expression, his dream hadn't been pleasant at all, and he seemed relieved to be awake. He pulled his medicine from his trousers pocket and took it meticulously. As he gently tucked it back away, he listened to the steady rhythm of the horses outside.
Inside the swaying carriage, Naiad was trying to braid her hair. With every wrong move, her irritation grew. Though, what truly riled her up was sitting right next to Apollo. She let out a heavy sigh, finally resigning herself to a messy braid with stray hairs sticking out everywhere.
Apollo and Naiad were deliberately avoiding eye contact. Every time the carriage jolted and Naiad winced, Apollo would quickly apologize and shrink further into his corner. Watching the two of them, Odasaku looked like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Odasaku was worn out, as usual. He kept pulling out the invitation, reading it over and over, his eyes reflecting memories looping like film reels. He leaned his head back against the seat.
"Hey, Brat One!" Odasaku called out.
Apollo flinched at the sound of his voice, raising his head in sheer embarrassment. It felt as though any word that came out of Odasaku's mouth would only deepen his shame.
"Yes!" Apollo replied.
"The whole deal with your inheritance... it was speed-reading, wasn't it?"
Naiad raised an eyebrow, shifting her gaze to Apollo. Apollo, on the other hand, couldn't quite fathom the reason behind the question.
"Apparently, there's an item at the auction that's going to set everyone at each other's throats," Odasaku muttered. "I thought I could dig something up by going through the papers, but I don't have the time to read them all."
Before Apollo could even mouth an agreement, Odasaku dumped a mountain of newspaper clippings right onto him. As Apollo tried to organize the mess, Naiad spoke up.
"Is your inheritance seriously just speed-reading?"
Apollo averted his eyes as he answered. "Yeah. Why do you ask?"
Naiad scratched her head. "I don't know, I figured it'd be blood manipulation or super agility or something."
"As if!" Apollo retorted. "I'm not born gifted like some people, you know!?"
Naiad scoffed. "Ha! Is that so? Well, if I were them, I wouldn't have passed my inheritance down to you either."
"HAHAHAH! Oh, how tragic for me then!" Apollo fired back.
In an instant, they flew at each other. Apollo yanked on Naiad's braid with all his might, while Naiad grabbed his leg, pulling hard.
"LET GO OF MY BRAID, YOU BASTARD!" Naiad shrieked.
"YOU LET GO OF MY LEG FIRST! DON'T YOU HAVE A POWERFUL INHERITANCE? USE IT TO FREE YOURSELF!"
Odasaku let them tussle for a little longer before smiling faintly and drawing his sword slightly from its scabbard. Apollo and Naiad froze instantly, quiet as mice. Naiad let go of his leg in a flash, and Apollo seamlessly transitioned into braiding Naiad's hair. Both wore forced, trembling smiles.
"You should be worshipping me, yet you attack me," Naiad muttered. "If it wasn't for me, everyone back there would be screwed."
Apollo gave a sharp, vicious tug to a strand of the braid. A tiny tear welled up in Naiad's eye.
"Well then, thank you very much, great-great-great Lord Naiad," Apollo whispered through gritted teeth.
Suddenly, Apollo's eyes caught a specific clipping on the floor. He dropped Naiad's hair instantly and snatched up the piece of paper.
"Hey!" Naiad protested.
Apollo shushed her, pointing urgently at the newspaper without a word.
The photograph in the paper showed a group of kids, all at least thirteen years old. There was a purple-haired boy with blue eyes holding a sword; next to him stood a black-haired, yellow-eyed boy clutching a grimoire, dark red circles heavy under his eyes; a red-haired, green-eyed boy leaning on his spear with a green sash tied around his waist; and trying to gather them all together was a cheerful, grey-haired, green-eyed boy with a sword at his hip. The headline read: The Students Who Saved the Academy.
"The kid in the middle looks a bit... off, don't you think?" Naiad murmured.
"No way," Apollo said.
Both Naiad and Apollo turned their heads to look at Odasaku.
"I mean, if you take away the beard and make him a little younger..." Naiad trailed off.
"Maybe it's his son?" Apollo guessed.
"You absolute idiot! How could it be his son? This happened seventeen years ago."
"His relative, then?"
Naiad, utterly exasperated, underlined a line of text in the article and shoved it in front of Apollo's face.
"The names of those students were Odasaku, Atheron, and Nora."
Apollo's jaw dropped. He leaned in close to Naiad's ear and whispered, "I would've never guessed in a million years that our guy actually went to the academy."
"Right?! Me neither!"
Dropping their giggles, Apollo and Naiad began to read the article in earnest. As they scanned the words, it was as if the past was unfolding right before their eyes...
Drenched in sweat, the boy stopped swinging his sword at the sound of a voice and wiped his brow.
"What do you want, you wizard prick?" the boy grunted.
The boy standing opposite him looked visibly annoyed.
"The professor was about to take attendance," the wizard prick replied, "and wouldn't you know it, a certain someone was missing again."
"Let him be missing, then."
"Odasaku! You're going to get expelled at this rate."
"Like hell I will! I've got powerful backing, man. Though, I guess I'm no Nora."
Nora smirked. "Oh, so a moment ago I was a wizard prick, and now I'm nobility?"
Nora and Odasaku shared a knowing grin. While Odasaku subtly tried to draw his sword, Nora was already casually flipping through the pages of his book. The moment Odasaku narrowed his eyes, Nora caught him in his tracks.
Nora calmly shut his grimoire and started walking up the school stairs. Behind him, Odasaku—now completely bound tightly by a binding spell—was unleashing a torrent of unspeakable curses.
Nora pushed open the grand, imposing doors ahead and greeted everyone with a bright smile.
"Professor, I brought Odasaku," Nora announced.
In one swift motion, Nora gagged Odasaku and tossed him right in front of the teacher, before stepping over to stand beside a red-haired boy.
"Can't you bring him to class normally for once?" the red-haired boy sighed.
"If the professor hadn't asked, I would've left him out there, honestly," Nora replied. "Atheron, why don't you bring him next time?"
"Why should I?" Atheron scoffed. "Besides, look at how eagerly he's anticipating the tournament."
The black-haired boy sitting next to Atheron spoke up. "Oh, absolutely. If he doesn't thrash us all in the tournament, I don't know anything."
"Nora, Atheron, Kafka—could you step forward?" the teacher called out.
Nora walked up gracefully at the front, while Kafka, bringing up the rear, oozed a punk-like demeanor. Atheron looked perfectly ordinary. Arriving at the teacher's desk, the trio took a collective deep breath.
"All three of you have taken this course before, correct?" the teacher asked.
"Yes, ma'am," Nora said.
"Then could the three of you tutor Odasaku in your dorm room?"
Before anyone else could object, Nora chimed in, "Of course we can."
The four of them quietly exited the hall, whispering among themselves.
"If we get kicked out of the dorms because of him..." Kafka grumbled.
"Come on, my backing is solid!" Odasaku fired back. "They couldn't kick us out in a million years."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. How vulgar," Nora chided. "I wonder if your solid backing knows you swear like a sailor?"
Odasaku went stark white in an instant.
"I bet you're quiet as a kitten around them," Atheron teased.
"Am not!"
Nora threw open the grand dormitory doors and began frantically flipping through his grimoire. Seeing this, Odasaku, Kafka, and Atheron immediately gripped their weapons tightly.
"Last one there is a rotten egg!" Nora shouted.
With that, Nora took flight, soaring straight toward the dorms.
"LOOK AT THAT PRICK! OF COURSE HE FLIES, HE'S THE ONLY WIZARD!" Odasaku yelled.
"You should've been wizards then!" Nora called back from above.
"LIKE ANYONE WHO WANTS TO CAN JUST BECOME A WIZARD!" Kafka roared. "OFF WITH THAT PEST'S HEAD!"
Kafka whipped his rapier forward, hurling it toward Nora. Nora blocked it effortlessly with a shield spell. But just as Nora was about to gloat, Odasaku threw his sword with terrifying force. Nora's shield shattered into a million pieces. Startled by the blade grazing his cheek, Nora lost control of his flight magic.
When Odasaku's eyes met Nora's falling form, he flashed a smug middle finger and grinned wickedly.
"Why you...!" Nora snarled.
As Nora plummeted, Atheron dashed ahead of everyone.
"Eat my dust, losers!" Atheron shouted.
"In your dreams!" Kafka and Odasaku yelled in unison.
Kafka scooped Odasaku onto his back and hurled him forward with all his might. The moment Odasaku hit the ground, he launched an assault on both Atheron and Nora.
"BACK OFF, YOU RABID DOG!" Atheron yelled.
"Watch out, or this dog might bite!"
Odasaku ignored Nora completely, pouring all his aggression into Atheron. Atheron struggled to fend off the close-quarters strikes with his spear, barely managed to deflect the incoming blows.
"Is that all you've got?!" Odasaku taunted.
Suddenly, Nora flashed in front of Odasaku and raised a shield. Before Odasaku could register what was happening, Atheron lifted a single finger.
"Boom," Atheron whispered.
"Uh..."
A small but incredibly dense explosion erupted. Dust blanketed everything, and with it, Nora's shield shattered. Odasaku and Nora collapsed to the ground, their knees giving out completely.
"Are you trying to kill us, man?!" Odasaku gasped.
"I was just trying to drain Nora's mana," Atheron said, breathless but smug. "Though, both of you dying works for me. Just imagine: Atheron, the tournament champion."
The moment the words left his mouth, Atheron bolted at top speed. Meanwhile, Nora and Odasaku were on the ground, frantically trying to trip each other up. They were so close to the dorm rooms. Atheron arrived panting at their door, only to find Kafka already there.
Kafka was leaning casually against the doorframe, waiting for them. Atheron scratched his head and walked up to him.
"Well, at least I'm not last," Atheron panted.
"I haven't actually gone inside yet," Kafka said. "Go on, you first."
"But..."
"Don't worry about it. I won't be last anyway."
Atheron muttered a quick thanks and slipped inside. Kafka burst into the room immediately after him. Kafka quickly messed up his own hair, grabbed a nearby pitcher of water, and dumped it over his head. Atheron watched, entirely bewildered.
Then, Kafka reached over and thoroughly ruffled Atheron's hair too.
"Think about it, naive boy," Kafka grinned. "If they saw me sitting in the room without a single drop of sweat or sign of exhaustion, what do you think they'd say?"
"Saved my skin again," Atheron smiled.
"You bet."
With a warm smile, Kafka threw himself onto his bed, while Atheron slumped onto the floor. Down the hallway, the chaotic echoes of Nora and Odasaku's brawl grew louder. Kafka and Atheron exchanged a sigh and waited. Finally, Odasaku and Nora reached the threshold, but the doorway was far too narrow for both to pass at once.
Even wedged in the frame, they were pulling each other's hair.
"It's my right!" Nora yelled.
"HOW IS IT YOUR RIGHT, YOU BASTARD?!" Odasaku roared.
Stuck tight in the doorway, they gave one final heave and tumbled into the room together. Despite their bleeding noses, they both scrambled to lift their heads eagerly.
"WHO ENTERED LAST?!" they demanded simultaneously.
Atheron looked at Kafka, who simply smiled, leaving the verdict to him.
"Well then," Atheron declared, "you're both rotten eggs."
"WHAT?!"
"You entered at the exact same time," Kafka explained. "Instead of playing favorites, why not both share the title?"
Surprisingly, Nora and Odasaku accepted this quietly. Nora reached under his bed, rummaged through his stash, and pulled out four potions, handing them out one by one.
"Man, aren't these incredibly expensive?" Atheron asked, examining the vial.
"Of course they are," Odasaku muttered. "He's loaded. Gold is like dirt to him."
"I just brew these during chemistry class anyway, so they're completely free," Nora shrugged.
"Are you skimming ingredients?" Kafka asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Let's just say they are obtained through entirely legal means."
Suddenly, a loud thud rattled from the ceiling above. Everyone, starting with Nora, let out a collective groan. Odasaku tossed his empty potion vial into a corner, marched out of the room, and headed straight for the stairs leading to the upper floor.
"He's going to beat up one of the upperclassmen again..." Kafka sighed.
Atheron and Kafka glanced at Nora, giving him a meaningful look. Nora looked utterly fed up. He shook his head in refusal and sat on the floor, flipping through the pages of his grimoire while scribbling something with a pen.
While Kafka watched Nora with intense curiosity, Atheron began stacking furniture and belongings against the door.
"What is the deal with that grimoire anyway?" Kafka asked. "I've never seen anyone sketch inside a spellbook before."
Nora's eyes lit up instantly. He opened his mouth eagerly and began speaking at an incredible speed.
"Actually, grimoires are magical tools that impose heavy limitations on a person. But despite that, they don't have a massive downside. Their true purpose, considering the brevity of human life, is an attempt to condense a lifetime of experience into the volume of a single book and its pages. While a grimoire provides immense utility to a human over a span of ninety years, someone who never uses a spellbook and lives for three hundred years would achieve a power far superior to anything a grimoire could ever offer. So..."
Before Nora could finish his lecture, Odasaku's screams echoed violently from the corridor. Nora was about to get annoyed by the interruption, so he quickly cast a silence barrier to block out the noise.
"Now, where was I?" Nora asked.
Kafka rolled over on the bed and raised his head. "Before that, aren't you going to save Odasaku?"
Nora smirked and tore a page right out of his grimoire. After scribbling a few runes on it, he slid it under the door into the hallway. Outside, an exhausted, battered Odasaku touched the paper and instantly materialized back inside the room.
Out of breath and covered in bruises, Odasaku stumbled a few steps before collapsing flat on his face. Everyone else looked thoroughly accustomed to the sight. Odasaku pressed his face deliberately against the floorboards.
"Nora... fire up another one of those potions for me!"
"They're gone," Nora replied flatly. "Chemistry class is only on Fridays."
Odasaku snapped his head up fiercely from the floor. "WHAT?! THEN I'M— I'M—"
In an instant, the entire room piled onto him. As Odasaku wailed and thrashed, trying desperately to break free, they bound him securely. Finally, they began dragging him toward the infirmary. He looked exactly like a cat being dragged to the vet, clawing at every object and doorframe to resist. The others had no choice but to pretend they didn't know him as they carried him through the halls.
Odasaku was playing his final cards now. He threw himself into the role of a pitiful victim, weeping loudly and hysterically. The passing teachers took one look at him and instantly understood exactly what had happened.
"CALL MY GUARDIAN! I DO NOT ACCEPT THIS! I WANT MY MASTER!" Odasaku wailed.
The upperclassmen who had beaten him up were now standing near Nora, looking deeply apologetic. They clearly hadn't realized their scuffle would cause such a massive scene. One of the older students approached a nearby teacher, who bowed her head slightly and began writing on a scrap of paper.
"Give this to Professor Merlin," the teacher instructed.
The upperclassman accepted it without a word and ran off. Terrified as they drew closer to the infirmary, Odasaku's screams grew even louder. Finally, the infirmary staff pulled him inside. To be safe, Nora, Atheron, and Kafka waited in the room. Odasaku kept sniffling, dabbing at his tears with a tissue.
Realizing the danger had passed, the trio slowly stepped out. As they waited by the door, a man took great care to keep his face hidden walked past them into the room. He adjusted his black cloak and approached Odasaku. Because of his towering height, he had to bend down to speak to the boy. Without saying a word, he managed to soothe him completely. It was as if Odasaku instantly found peace just by having this man near.
By then, everyone else, including the nurses, had finished up and left the room. Only the man and Odasaku remained. Odasaku leaned his head against the man's side and began wiping his nose directly onto the black cloak. The man didn't mind at all; their deep bond was blindingly obvious. Outside the room, Nora, Atheron, and Kafka seemed to realize exactly who the man was, letting out hushed, ecstatic cheers.
Summoning his courage, Kafka burst back into the room. Odasaku immediately dove under the man's cloak to hide. Seeing this, the man chuckled softly. With great humility, he invited the others inside. He began asking questions one by one, with the precise, caring meticulousness of a parent wanting to know how his child was doing.
"How is Odasaku doing in his classes?" the caped man asked.
Before the others could speak, Nora cut in. "He gets a perfect hundred on every exam, though I have no idea how. I've never actually seen him study."
A warm smile spread across the man's face. He pinched Odasaku's cheeks, shook out his cloak, and stood up. Odasaku immediately clung to his leg.
"Hajin, do you really have to goooooo?" Odasaku begged, his face full of childish innocence.
"I've never met anyone with sharper eyes than Merlin," Hajin replied. "If she catches sight of me even once more, I'll have no choice but to turn tail and run."
Everyone in the room let out a quiet chuckle. After all, who wouldn't want to witness a clash between the greatest swordsman in history and the greatest wizard? Well, except for Nora... A sudden silence fell over Nora. He let his golden eyes be shrouded by his pitch-black hair. It seemed as though he wanted Hajin to leave as quickly as possible.
"Um, I think it's best if you leave now," Nora murmured.
Hajin agreed with Nora and quickly made his exit. The moment Hajin vanished, Odasaku went wild, snapping and lunging like an unleashed Chihuahua. But right then, the clicking of high heels echoing down the corridor came to a sudden halt. Everyone knew exactly who had arrived. They snapped into a straight line, like soldiers awaiting their commander. Even Odasaku stopped his cursing, shifting instead to subtle, quiet murmurs.
The door flew open. A meticulously dressed woman stepped inside. Her pale blue hair was tied into a neat bun, her white eyes made her look blind, yet she saw absolutely everything—well, except for Odasaku. In her hands, she carried a mountain of magical theories.
"Oh, look, our usual quartet," the woman noted. "Whose turn is it for a mission today, do you think?"
Odasaku, Atheron, and Kafka immediately pointed their fingers straight at Nora. Nora, however, didn't seem bothered by the gesture.
"Atheron and Kafka are going on the mission," the woman declared.
Atheron and Kafka gasped in surprise. It had seemed obvious that Nora would be chosen, as if the woman had changed her mind at the very last second.
"You're not joking, are you, Professor Merlin?" Nora asked.
"At my age, do you really think I have time for jokes?" Merlin replied. "Besides, the four of you are the only first-years allowed to take on solo missions."
Having delivered her piece, Merlin turned to leave. But just as she was stepping out, she seemed to remember something. She poked her head back into the room and looked around.
"Odasaku..." Merlin mused. "Weren't you... always invisible to my eyes?"
End of Chapter