漫画大王

Chapter 204

One of them was focused on enhancing my superhuman abilities.

Boom!

Ellen nodded after taking a hit from me.

“It definitely feels right.”

“Really?”

“Try a few more things. It seems like a good idea.”

“That’s a relief.”

Self-Deception was a vague superhuman ability, and so far, I had used it practically by calling up certain reinforcement patterns as presets.

I devised a method to make it more useful and functional, and it seemed to be quite effective.

It was a bit embarrassing to describe in detail, and it felt a little cheesy while using it. Still, if it worked, it was good enough.

It was more about specialization than enhancement. I wanted to add more versatility to the use of my superhuman ability.

One focus was on the specialization of Self-Deception.

As for the other...

“... I don’t get it.”

“... I also don’t know how to teach it.”

Ellen was staring at me struggling with my eyes closed, ultimately achieving nothing.

This was the first step towards Mana Domination.

I was trying to achieve Mana Reinforcement.

Ellen had unlocked Mana Reinforcement on her own, and since then, she had focused on adapting and mastering it through one-on-one lessons. Ellen was such an exceptional case that she was the only one among the first years taking that class. Even if I applied for it, I wouldn’t be accepted.

Besides improving my superhuman abilities, I needed to be able to perform Mana Reinforcement.

I had to learn to handle my mana while accelerating my mana growth.

With that in mind, after intensive training on the training grounds, I received one-on-one Mana Reinforcement training from Ellen.

But Ellen, being a genius beyond mere genius, simply looked at me with a gaze that said, ‘I can do it easily; why can’t you?’

“I can do it, so I don’t know why you can’t,” she said.

“Damn it, do you think we’re the same? Isn’t it weird that you can do it so easily in the first place?”

“... Still.”

“Still? What do you mean, still?”

‘Do you think we’re on the same level?’

I thought having two mana-related talents might help me grasp Mana Reinforcement, but that wasn’t happening. I couldn’t feel anything.

‘Is this 4000-point talent even effective? I don’t see any difference at all!’

Come to think of it, if having two mana-related talents meant I could instantly perform Mana Reinforcement, Vertus would already be a Swordmaster, since he also possessed both of those talents.

Mana Domination... It was truly overpowered.

“Hmm... Mmm...”

Ellen seemed to be struggling to figure out how to teach me Mana Reinforcement, even though she could do it easily herself.

Then again, you can’t just teach someone how to breathe. It’s something you just know how to do. For Ellen, Mana Reinforcement was as natural as breathing.

Ellen furrowed her brows slightly, repeatedly fortifying and releasing her mana, tilting her head in contemplation as she tried to come up with an idea. But nothing seemed to click for her.

It was kind of cute seeing her like that, and it somewhat lightened my mood.

“Just try it again for now.”

“... ‘Try it again’? That makes it sound like I did something right before.”

‘I haven’t done anything... I honestly don’t understand it at all. Telling me to try again isn’t going to produce any results!’

“Just do it anyway.”

“... Alright.”

Ellen sat across from me, and I focused my mind while seated.

Of course, I didn’t feel anything. I knew there was mana inside my body, but without knowing how to sense it, trying to use it to fortify my physical body seemed impossible.

“Can’t do it?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm...”

Ellen held both of my hands in hers with a puzzled look.

‘Is she trying to detect something on her end?’

But then, Ellen suddenly let go of my hands as if startled.

“... What is it?”

“... Nothing. Just keep going.”

‘What was that? Is she suddenly being shy after being so nonchalant about everything until now?’

Ellen didn’t take my hands again, and she just kept watching me attempt whatever I was doing.

Ellen and I spent several hours sitting across from each other while I struggled.

It was a torturous exercise, not even worthy of being called training—it was a blind person trying to describe an elephant.

I couldn’t even tell if I was making any progress, so it hardly felt like training.

*

For activities like swordsmanship or physical conditioning, the results obtained were always commensurate with the time invested. Even though the rate of growth might slow down, physical pain would always lead to growth.

But with Mana Reinforcement, it was a different story.

The problem was that Ellen was such an extraordinary genius that she could only offer conceptual and vague advice, and all I ended up doing was tensing my stomach muscles and feeling like I needed to go to the bathroom.

Perhaps I had to wait until it was being taught in the regular curriculum, but even when it did, I wasn’t sure I’d get the hang of it.

However, I had all the necessary talents, so I believed that I’d get it down eventually if I kept at it.

If I could manage to use Mana Reinforcement by the end of the year, even if I wasn’t considered a genius on Ellen’s level, I’d certainly still be considered a prodigy.

However, I wasn’t holding out much hope. After all, if the two talents I had eventually evolved into Mana Domination, all my problems would be solved.

Concerning my life at the Temple, aside from the midterms, group missions, and finals, nothing particularly eventful or problematic happened.

Of course, on a personal level, I was constantly busy with training, the Rotary Club projects, and now the Magic Research Club, which left me with no time to rest.

The main storylines for the second semester mostly revolved around the festival and the group mission, but it was hard to predict how things would unfold in those cases.

In the first semester, I lived a rough life due to those who looked down on me, but this semester, no one underestimated me anymore, so I didn’t see myself having any reason or need to cause trouble.

As such, I began directing my efforts toward more constructive pursuits. I planned to focus on making money, getting stronger, and seeking power.

Though they weren’t stressful tasks, I still had so much on my plate that I suffered from a sense of constant fatigue, even if it wasn’t to the extent of chronic exhaustion.

A few days passed, and something else began to bother me.

“Uh, hi... Reinhart.”

“Oh, uh...”

Charlotte no longer seemed comfortable around me.

There was something beyond awkwardness with her.

*

Ever since Dettomorian’s abrupt revelation, Charlotte and I had grown awkward around each other. However, it was a prophecy that I had no reason to believe in. I thought things would get better with time, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

In fact, things only seemed to grow more and more awkward.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t so much awkwardness as it was something else.

She seemed to find me intimidating. She couldn’t make eye contact with me and would brush past me in the hallway with the shortest of greetings.

‘What’s going on with her?’

Could it be that she’d become more conscious of me? It didn’t seem that way. If that were the case, things would be more tense, wouldn’t they?

It definitely didn’t seem like she was more conscious of me in that way. It felt different, in a specific sort of way.

However, there was nothing going on between Charlotte and me.

‘Why would she find me intimidating? Have I unknowingly caused some kind of trouble again?’

I reached the point where I even began to doubt myself.

Aside from the incident with Dettomorian, though, I couldn’t think of any reason for Charlotte to act this way.

‘What’s this? Is she truly becoming conscious of me? It doesn’t seem like it.

‘Or is it? This is what they call “delusions of grandeur,” isn’t it?

‘What the heck am I thinking? Am I actually considering that the princess, after having her fortune read once, is now thinking about me?

‘Still, Charlotte is single-heartedly devoted to Baalier, isn’t she? Well, then again, Baalier is me.

‘But what would it be called if Charlotte, who likes Baalier, ends up directing her feelings toward Reinhart? A change of heart? Well, since both are me, it wouldn’t technically be a change of heart. Actually, perhaps it would be a change of heart, after all.’

“What’s on your mind?”

“... Huh? Why?”

“You have an unpleasant expression on your face.”

Ellen finally said something while we were heading back after class.

*

Although there were other issues, these thoughts regarding Charlotte’s change in attitude complicated my mind greatly. After all, Charlotte was an important person to me, regardless of my personal needs or reasons.

She was the first person I’d met when I entered this world, and she made me realize that I could risk my life to save someone.

After going through many ups and downs, we reunited, and despite giving her a somewhat poor first impression of me, we eventually formed a relationship where we could talk normally and be friends.

However, Dettomorian’s words changed all that.

At first, whenever Charlotte saw me after that, she would greet me awkwardly and brush past me with a slightly flustered expression. Recently, though, she hadn’t just been flustered, but seemed to find it hard to even say hello, just hurrying past with her head lowered.

Even if I didn’t know all the details, I could clearly see that the situation was growing more awkward.

These were all hypothetical thoughts, but:

Suppose Charlotte started to genuinely like me (Reinhart).

What would happen next?

If she confessed her feelings to me and I said that I wasn’t interested, would I lose my head for that because I dared to reject the princess?

If I said that it was an honor, then would I be swiftly reminded that there was no place in the royal family for someone of my lowly status, and lose my head anyway?

Either way, my head would be in danger.

The whole situation just became more absurd the more I thought about the princess liking me. In reality, I had no idea what Charlotte was thinking.

‘Or maybe... is she scared? Is she distancing herself from me because she’s afraid Dettomorian’s prophecy will come true?

‘If that’s the case, what should I do? Should I tell her that I have no intention of marrying her and that she should treat me like how she usually did?

‘Would saying that lead to “How dare you discuss marriage with the princess?!” and result in my head getting chopped off?

‘No. No matter what I think of it, it always ends with my head getting chopped off.’

The specific reason for it might be unclear, but it was evident that Charlotte was having a hard time associating with me, and was seriously avoiding me.

It could all be a mere hunch, though.

Even though she’d only spent one day with me, Charlotte liked me (Baalier). That much is certain. But then she heard that she’d be marrying the other me (Reinhart).

Could it be that she had begun avoiding me because she was afraid her feelings for Baalier would be diluted by me (Reinhart)?

Of course, I didn’t believe in Dettomorian’s prophecy.

However, we could assume for a moment that it really was a prophecy about the future, as though he were an oracle.

An oracle offered a warning about an outcome, and no matter what action one took, that action would ironically ensure the prophecy’s fulfillment.

Take the story of King Laius. An oracle prophesied that his son would kill him and marry his wife, so he abandoned Oedipus, his son, an act that ultimately led to the prophecy being fulfilled.

If that were the case, Charlotte’s choice to distance herself from me might actually be the decision that ensured the prophecy becoming reality.

Of course, all this speculation hinged on the fact that Dettomorian’s prophecy would really come to pass.

Ultimately, every story related to prophecies conveys one message: fate cannot be avoided, and what is meant to happen would inevitably happen. Actions taken to avoid destiny often hastened its arrival.

As I thought about Charlotte’s situation, I felt a chill run down my spine.

It made me fear that all my efforts to handle the Gate Incident might be futile, or even cause unexpected problems.

The Gate Incident was destiny, after all, and I was trying my best to avoid it.

Would all my efforts to prevent it work as intended? Or would they lead to another kind of Gate Incident?

I didn’t know.

The Gate Incident was a problem in the future.

In the present, Charlotte seemed to have begun to find me intimidating, and although I didn’t know the specifics, it appeared to be because of what Dettomorian had said. That was the issue.

If Charlotte was trying to distance herself from me, what could I say to her to tell her that there was no need? Did I even have the right to say anything?

After all, it was Charlotte’s decision to act as she saw fit, and telling her otherwise would be absurd.

Finally, while lost in thought in my room, my communication device beeped.

“... Reinhart.”

Charlotte’s slightly somber voice came through the communicator.

“Could we... talk for a moment?”

There was a determination in Charlotte’s voice, as if she had decided something.

*

I left the Royal Class dormitory after Charlotte’s call. She was waiting for me on a small bridge over a pond deep in the park in front of the dormitory. It was a quiet place, rarely visited by others.

Although it was secluded, the pond was well-maintained, with crystal clear waters.

Charlotte leaned against the railing of the bridge, looking at me with a tilt to her head.

“You came.”

“Yeah.”

Her manner was different from what it had been recently whenever we passed each other.

Instead of just awkwardness or a sense of intimidation, she now seemed to be filled with deep sorrow. Charlotte leaned against the railing facing the pond, and I leaned against the railing on the opposite side, facing away.

We did not face each other, as it seemed it would be more comfortable for both of us this way.

I didn’t know what Charlotte was going to say.

“I’ve been a bit strange lately, haven’t I?”

“... I can’t deny it, even if I wanted to. Yes, you have.”

“I couldn’t help it after hearing such surprising things...”

“... I felt the same way too...”

She was talking about Dettomorian’s reading again. The one in which we were supposed to get married.

So, Charlotte’s recent behavior had indeed been because of that.

“It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? Isn’t it?” she asked.

The idea of us getting married. Charlotte said it was ridiculous, and I agreed with her on that.

“Yeah, it’s ridiculous,” I replied, turning my head slightly to glance at her.

“But you know, I felt a bit offended.”

Charlotte looked at me with a slightly mischievous smile, and her words left me momentarily stunned.

“... What?”

“I mean, isn’t it strange? I didn’t think anything of it, but then you went and denied it so fiercely. It felt bad. It made me wonder if I was that undesirable.”

“N-No, no! That wasn’t my intention! You know what I meant by that!”

‘I didn’t mean that I disliked you, just that from a realistic perspective, it was highly improbable. You know that, right?!’

Instead of feeling happy about the prospect of marrying a princess, I had been horrified by the thought and had adamantly denied that such a thing could ever happen.

Now that I thought about it, it was possible she found that offensive.

“... I didn’t mean it that way. Sorry if I made you feel bad.”

“I know, I know. I understand what you meant. It’s just... it made me feel strange. If you had somehow liked the idea... it would have been even weirder. When I thought about it calmly, I realized that.”

Charlotte was smiling at me.

Indeed, if I had been overjoyed and said something like “Oh great, I’m going to marry the princess! Life couldn’t be better!” it would have been far weirder.

It wouldn’t have just been awkward; she would have genuinely avoided me, thinking, ‘Does he really believe that? How terrifying.’

“But you know, even though Detto said it might not come true, I couldn’t help but give it some serious thought. What could lead to me marrying you...”

“... Seriously?”

“Yeah. Why? Am I not allowed to do that?”

“No, it’s not that it isn’t allowed... but isn’t it weird, telling me about that?”

Then again, I had given it some thought as well. About what circumstances would lead to me marrying Charlotte.

“Of course, it’s not that I like you or have an interest in you in that way. I was just curious to see if there was a logical sequence of events that could lead to that outcome.”

She kept her tone serious, emphasizing that she didn’t want me to misunderstand anything. Had Charlotte reached some sort of rational conclusion after thinking about it on her own?

Charlotte fixed her gaze on the fish swimming in the pond.

“Reinhart, you know...”

“... Yeah?”

“From what I considered, I don’t think marrying you is exactly impossible.”

“... Whaaat?”

Charlotte surprised me with an answer far beyond my expectations. Seeing my reaction, she laughed.

Though I didn’t know what she was thinking, I couldn’t look away from her smile.