Surviving at the Magic Academy

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With a loud thud, a massive pillar came crashing down on the lush trees. They were mighty trees, strong from absorbing mana, but this pillar? No chance.

The trees crumpled under the weight of the pillar, sending a heavy echo that shook the ground. I almost felt like I was stomping on them myself, that bizarre sensation creeping over me. I closed my eyes, savoring that weird feeling.

Suddenly, someone leaned against me. A faint scent of roses tickled my nose. I cracked my eyes open slightly to see Mira looking up at me, her head resting on my arm.

“Are you doing that again? Seriously, what’s got you so happy?”

She puffed out her cheeks, grumbling. I traced my hand along the ground, feeling the hard surface beneath. It was the shell of a turtle. The pillar that crushed the trees was like a turtle’s foot.

“I can tell something I’ve never felt before. I think I understand a bit why you, Mira, want to make Kashian move.”

The turtle lumbered on with heavy steps. It had been two days since we left the tower.

Professor On’s lecture was fast approaching. That was the road we were on. I was enjoying the scenery alongside Mira, perched on that turtle’s back.

Honestly, it was the first time I’d been out like this.

For me, safety had always been the top priority. So, whenever I had to leave the tower, I would hide in the temporary workshop within the turtle. That was my ultimate safe haven.

But this time, I wanted to connect directly with this beast. I leaned back, the hard texture supporting me comfortably.

It instinctively tilted to create a shade over me. I patted its shell, feeling grateful for the gesture. The turtle swayed slightly, as if it were happy.

I glanced back at what was supporting me. There was a small tree, about two meters tall. It looked more like a little sprout than a tree. It wriggled as if it were alive, cradling me gently.

It looked incredibly fresh. It had started as the size of my palm, and now look how it had grown! I closed my eyes, focusing on my heart. My tree intertwined with the turtle’s, creating a massive pathway.

In that connection, I began to feel like I was moving with it, as if we were one. It felt like this was a mutual existence.

This wasn’t just a connection; it was communion and communication. The turtle was me, yet also not me. That strange sensation was always new, and thrilling. It was a whole different dimension compared to just manipulating dolls.

This connection was partly thanks to Professor Ilian. It had already been a week since I turned the turtle into a divine being for the dolls. It had spent that time with the professor.

She had checked its functionality and corrected some shortcomings. As a result, it stabilized quickly enough to connect with me. The sprout on its back was no different.

I felt a surge of gratitude towards the professor. But was it truly gratitude? Hard to say. I remembered her expression when she handed it over to me.

She seemed a bit regretful then. If the turtle hadn’t linked with me perfectly, she might have stored it away as a decorative pet doll like Hari’s.

No, it would surely have been so. My gratitude shrank at the thought. But a part of it remained, since she had genuinely helped me in creating ‘that turtle.’

Ugh, no matter how I think about it, ‘Dahlbuk’ feels like a better name. I wistfully clicked my tongue. The turtle must’ve read my thoughts and huffed again. It clearly favored its current name.

Turtle or Dahlbuk, isn’t it all the same…? It flitted through my mind, but I didn’t dwell on it. The turtle could sulk. Just as I could read its thoughts, it could read mine too.

Outwardly, the turtle hadn’t changed much. It had grown a tad bigger, and a tree had begun sprouting on its back.

The change was within it. It was no longer just a simple turtle. Its self-awareness had greatly expanded. It had become a colossal moon that filled my Shadow Tree.

This could be seen as the collective love of the dolls. It was the deity within me, bestowing love upon the dolls. Hmm… saying it like this makes it seem like I dumped my love onto the turtle.

But what can I do? As a mage, I couldn’t provide them with complete love. So, I wanted to create something to take my place. A ‘me’ that could endlessly pour out love in my stead.

This attempt was remarkably successful, just as it is now. With this creature around, it could embrace any doll with profound love. Even if its physical form were to fade, it could seep into the moon it harbors and continue to live anew.

I lightly tapped the turtle’s shell. It responded with a slight shake.

Of course, not everything was flawless. This endeavor had led to a minor side effect.

Now, the two of us were practically one body. That was also why the professor had handed it back to me so readily. The turtle had absorbed my essence to create its body—the moon. Part of my tree and Shadow Tree had also blended into it.

The one created was, in essence, me. The very structure of its power was fully connected to me. Hence, we could create this communion.

It had positioned itself at the core of my mastery during its transformation into a god. Unlike other dolls, the turtle had become a part of me. If it were to vanish, my tree would surely crumble.

Therefore, it couldn’t escape from me. And I could not let go of it. If we were to drift far apart, it’d surely shock us both.

So, I closed my eyes and continued to exchange thoughts with it. Well, this was just a minor side effect. Crisis and opportunity often go hand in hand, right?

In a way, I had created a new talent, a new possibility. The turtle would now grow based on the tree on its back, and in that process, I too would benefit from its help.

“I never imagined you’d go this far…”

Mira murmured as she gently touched her cheek. I stared at her silently. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have recognized the existence of such love. I wouldn’t have been able to reconstruct this being.

A mage completes oneself. That’s also why I couldn’t offer complete love to other dolls—because I was always after rationality in my heart.

But this turtle could also be considered me. As a mage, if I don’t love myself, who would I love? So, this turtle was the doll I loved the most and would continue to love.

It was the perfect answer to the assignment Professor On handed out. At its foundation, there was her assistance. A mere prank, perhaps? Regardless of her intentions, I felt immense gratitude towards her.

Lost in thought, I unconsciously stroked her back. Then paused. Mira looked at me with a coy smile.

“Oh, how bold of you.”

Oh dear, what did I just do? I cleared my throat. In a moment of surprise, I brushed against her as if I were with the turtle. I must’ve relaxed way too much.

“I’m sorry. I was trying to express my gratitude and ended up making a mistake.”

As I spoke, I averted my gaze.

“Hehe, is that so? If that’s the case, I wouldn’t mind if you did it more often.”

Mira teased with a mischievous grin, poking my side lightly. I had to dodge her as she started leaning against my chest to cuddle. I needed to escape before she played more pranks.

“Um, I have to focus on restoring my prowess for now. I need to concentrate until we reach the tower.”

Saying this, I promptly closed my eyes. I began to center my thoughts, brushing aside the distant sound of someone clicking their tongue. Slowly, I sank into the mana.

Beyond my heart, the will that formed atop the foundation of mana found a tree. That tree, marked by the scars of a circuit, had been left twisted and weak from the loss of power.

The Shadow Tree beneath it wasn’t any better. It had suffered many tear marks, looking rather shabby. Through breath techniques, I gradually began to heal its wounds, taking in mana.

Even after continuously absorbing mana, it showed no signs of recovery. It seemed I’d need to care for it for a year to stabilize my prowess. Clearly, it was still lacking compared to before.

My prowess had regressed this way. But I felt a satisfying warmth in my heart. The tree seemed to share my sentiment, proudly swaying its branches.

From this experience, I realized I had grown slightly. This wasn’t just a matter of power. I felt I had become a better human being, a better doll manipulator, and perhaps even a better mage.

To prove that, my foundation had grown more robust and spread wider. Emotions flowed within. The turtle’s love and the love of the dolls were prominent. In a sense, this was an expansion downward rather than a rise.

I let myself relax against the turtle, continuing to breathe quietly. It too began breathing for me, pulling mana from the surroundings.

The tree’s recovery was taking place, bit by bit, and in minute ways.

How long had it been? Someone started to caress my chest. Something followed that sensation, drawing closer to my tree. It was Mira’s mist.

As I opened my eyes slightly, I found Mira smiling at me. She pointed at something in front of her. Following her finger, I spotted a massive sphere.

“Look, do you see it? We’ve reached the tower.”

I squinted at it. The mana around was flowing quietly toward it. It was Professor On’s tower, still drawing in mana and creating a massive current.

The turtle climbed the mountain along with that flow. It began to decrease in size as it ascended. By the time we reached the peak, it was about the size of a small cart.

The turtle came to a halt before the sphere. The sphere was enormous. Looking up at it, I dismounted from the turtle’s back. It shrank further and let out a sad huff. I placed it on my palm and hung it on my chest.

“Shall we go?”

I reached out my hand to Mira. She smiled and took my hand. Just below the sphere, there was a transparent staircase like before. Guess they wanted us to come in through that. Together, we slowly ascended the stairs.

The other students didn’t appear to be around. They were probably already inside. Unlike me, who had to operate the tower, they must’ve been continuing their training there. Perhaps they were chatting with each other to find the answers for their assignments.

So, we opened the door and stepped into the tower.

Once again, a cacophony greeted us. Someone shouted, while others rushed past me, busy with their tasks. Just like before, the tower was bustling.

We stood in a gigantic corridor. I quietly observed the busy figures, or rather, dolls, bustling around. It was hard to believe they were all dolls.

The dolls filling the corridor moved with different purposes, all scurrying to their destinations. A Mirror Bug hovered nearby, displaying the time as if it were my will.

I nodded softly. We had about an hour to spare before the lecture. It was worth hurrying to arrive early. It seemed there was still some time to explore the tower.

I carefully wove through the flow of dolls alongside Mira. The corridor was enormous, sprawling out in all directions. The paths intertwined complexity.

And throughout the corridors, there were many doors. Just then, a door beside us swung open, and a doll jumped out, clutching a small bundle and heading off somewhere.

I peeked through that door. The space shimmered a bit, revealing a picturesque landscape. It was a vast meadow, dotted with cattle grazing peacefully. They seemed to be livestock raised by the dolls.

“Oh my, those are dolls too!”

Mira exclaimed with a smile. I blinked at her words, staring at the cows. They moved lazily, radiating a strong sense of vitality. Are they really dolls?

Before long, the view beyond the door began to blur. Then the door closed.

I glanced around again. Dolls passed through the other doors as well, each leading to different scenes. Some led to homes, while others resembled large training grounds.

We slowly walked down the corridor. The dolls laughed and talked just like people. From most of them, I sensed a light mana swirling about. Each of them could pass as an individual mage.

Indeed, it was hard to see them as anything less than human.

As I was observing the dolls and repeatedly asked Mira if they truly were dolls, she simply shook her head. That meant she didn’t catch the scent of humans from them.

Time flew swiftly. Within that time, the corridor stretched endlessly. The doors lining it were likewise numerous.

What could the total number of dolls scattered throughout this tower possibly be? I couldn’t even fathom that scale.

“Hmm, are we not going to check beyond those doors?”

Mira leaned closer to me as she asked. A young man was sprinting towards us from the opposite direction. I gently pulled her close as he sped by, nodding lightly as he passed, giving him a friendly gesture.

Clearly, that young man was a doll as well. Beyond the door he came from, I caught a glimpse of a pile of books. The mana emanating from those books seemed quite extraordinary.

I was intensely curious about their contents. Yet, I hesitated to step into that door. I shook my head gently while looking at Mira.

“Professor On warned us. This space is solely for the dolls. So, there’s no need to intrude on their domain.”

I gazed at the dolls bustling about the corridor. Yes, this tower was a unique space—a world solely for the dolls. I felt I had begun to understand this space a bit better.

The tower wasn’t just a device to gather mana. It was a small world crafted by each mage.

Just as Professor Heisen created a space for shadows, Professor On must have also created a world exclusively for the dolls.

Of course, our tower was a bit different. A bittersweet smile escaped me. Professor Ilian didn’t seem to be interested in the tower at all. Up until now, it had just been used as a storage room.

I was puzzled by that at first, but now I understood a bit better. It likely held no meaning for her to decorate such a world. Although, what was stored in the warehouse was another issue entirely.

“That’s a very good idea. A few others crossed the door out of curiosity and received punishment.”

A whisper floated near my ear, startling me as I turned to my side. There stood a transparent carriage—one of the strange carriages that had transported us before.

I hadn’t noticed its presence until it spoke. The surrounding dolls also seemed oblivious, moving past it as if it were just air.

“It’s time. Let’s go, the professor is waiting.”

The carriage door opened quietly, and the mana that emanated lured us in naturally. Apparently, an hour had already passed.

Once inside, I spotted other students—eleven in total, everyone but me had gathered. I exchanged light glances with them and took my seat. They probably stayed here, boarding together just in time.

As the carriage sealed its doors and started moving, I peered out the window. The surroundings began to blur. It crossed over the dolls and walls, heading somewhere.

The destination was a classroom. The carriage discharged us there before vanishing. It surely existed until it just disappeared, leaving me curious if it was some kind of treasure.

At the center of the classroom’s podium stood Professor On. Beside him was a woman who smiled gently as she watched us come in.

Was it Tiena? She was the doll Mauro had begun addressing as ‘Madam.’ I needed to treat her with a bit more caution. I bowed my head deeply towards them and found my place.

As we settled in, Professor On quietly observed us. Finally, he spoke up.

“Well, everyone is here. There are twelve of you… no, was it thirteen?”

During his speaking, Unit 0 emerged from my shadow, raising its hand. Professor On nodded lightly at the sight. Unit 0 solidified itself and took a seat beside me, its eyes sparkling.

It was understandable. It had made vast improvements since the last lecture. Especially when it had sculpted a clearer image of me, it had piled extra stars of its self-awareness.

So naturally, it would be looking forward to this lecture. I felt the same anticipation. What kind of class would we have today? My heart raced.

“It’s great to see you all again. It’s time for me to teach you again. I hope your dolls have improved since the last lesson. We’ll continue with the same trend today.”

With that, Professor On began manipulating the mana calmly. The air distorted gradually and manifested a black line—a kind of spatial rift.

With a slight wave of his hand, several books popped out from it. They floated gracefully into our midst.

I carefully caught one and read the title: ‘Basics of On’s Doll Manipulation.’ It was the same as the one I received before.

This time, Unit 0 also had a book fly its way. Upon receiving it, a smile spread across its face.

“We’ll use these books for today’s lecture as well. I’ll make sure to explain it more simply than last time, so engrain it into your heads well.”

He said that while continuing to watch us intently. Then he pulled Tiena into his embrace and continued.

“Before we begin, let’s check the assignments. The task I gave you was to create a doll. Present them in front of us.”

Ah, finally that time had come. I gently nudged the turtle’s head, which was nestled against my chest. Responding to the cue, it hopped down onto the desk, bouncing its body as it headed for the podium.

Others began revealing their dolls one by one. I glanced at their creations.

There were armors adorned with all sorts of jewels, and dolls made of the corpses of monsters. I peeked beside me. Unit 0 also presented a shrunken version of my doll in front of the professor. Many diverse dolls gathered in front of him.

The turtle lightly bleated, as it met Tiena’s gaze. She smiled gently at it. Professor On stared at it with hazy eyes before clapping his hands.

“Alright, let’s begin the inspection. Let’s see if you all solved your assignments.”

All the students wore confident smiles, convinced they had completed their tasks. I felt the same.

But one by one, those smiles began to fade. Gradually, their faces turned pale.

And it was only natural. I watched the podium with hesitant eyes.

Another doll started to dissolve. This time, it was the jewel-encrusted armor. Any doll that failed to pass Professor On’s ‘inspection’ melted away like that. The professor tilted his head slightly before it.

“Hmm, this one failed too. Moving on to the next.”

The turtle trembled in terror beside the melted armor. It looked at me with a sorry face. I nodded in response. My answer was clear. So the turtle would be safe. Uh… probably.

 

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