Surviving at the Magic Academy

---

“`html

As I stroked my chin, I stared blankly at the paper in front of me. It was something I had bought for quite a hefty score from the Abyss Secret Association. The more I pondered its contents, the more bitterly I laughed.

I really wasn’t sure if we could win this. There was a reason why the folks from the Blade Association had so readily agreed to our demands. It was also why this information was so easy to obtain.

According to them, it was tradition. Summoning a underwhelming blood sponsor for a duel to confirm their talent once again.

The difficulty varied based on the sponsorship fee. And Kashian was raking in ten thousand points per level, the highest amount. So, getting eliminated on the third floor would be a good excuse to draw her in.

It seemed like the highest difficulty, indeed. My first opponent was remarkably skilled in dueling without any magic, unbelievable for someone from the second floor. Clearly, this guy had a lot of experience.

The second opponent was just as good. He had just risen to the third floor, yet he was very adept at dueling. I figured the third opponent we’d face would be the same.

What about the fourth and fifth? And the last eighth? According to this paper, the final opponent would definitely be someone from the fifth floor.

As the floors piled up, the way to the next was getting rougher. On average, it took fifteen years to go from the second to the third floor, and thirty years to get to the fourth.

Graduating from the fourth floor took fifty years, they said. If you opted for the advanced course into the fifth floor, you had to invest even more time.

So, how big of a gap in years was there between Kashian, who stayed on the second floor, and the final opponent? It was clear that the time accumulated would far exceed her age.

And we had to surpass that. Evan came to mind. Did he even know about this? Considering his sly nature, he probably did.

He just hadn’t informed Kashian. With her personality, I doubted she’d have dug deeper into it.

I reflected on it from Evan’s perspective. Now that I thought about it, that guy had nurtured five swords.

Maybe it wouldn’t matter if Kashian lost all eight duels. Sacrificing one of his swords would allow Kashian to join a major organization.

What if she won? Even better. They’d continue their sponsorship, having confirmed her talent. The association must have been thinking along similar lines.

I organized my thoughts calmly. Seeing this made me feel relieved. It didn’t seem like they would pull any dirty tricks in the upcoming duels.

Honestly, I was worried they might mess with time or switch the duel arena to make things tough for Kashian. I even considered the possibility of using our demands for something like that.

But this tradition had been around for ages. There were records of someone winning and getting out of this whole process. There were no tricks involved.

They were very confident, just like your typical swordsmen. That meant we just had to prove ourselves through strength. The difficulty was the real issue.

Anyway, nothing would change. If she lost, she’d be stuck here. We had to prevent that. So, all I had to do was help her win every duel. That was my goal.

I looked at Kashian and Mira, who were choosing outfits and smiling. Well, only Mira was smiling. Kashian was being dragged around by her like a ragdoll.

An employee from the Arcana General Meeting was lining up several outfits nearby. Mira was briskly bringing those clothes to Kashian and handed a few to me.

At that moment, a Mirror Bug buzzed from my pocket. It was the scheduled alarm.

“Time to move. We’re running out of it.”

With that, I stood up. Kashian looked at me with a bright face. Uh-oh, I felt guilty and avoided her gaze. After all, I was the one who requested this.

“I haven’t checked everything yet. What a shame.”

Mira gathered the clothes with a regretful expression. The Mirror Bug that had popped out of her arms touched the employee’s ring and transferred its score.

Mira handed me the clothes, which I stuffed into my spatial pocket. These would be the outfits Kashian would change into every day.

Kashian clung to the Bear Doll with a refreshed expression. She didn’t give off the previous dull and shabby vibe anymore. Instead, she looked fragile like a delicate lady.

This was the result of Mira’s handiwork. I had asked her to make Kashian look as beautiful as possible, but I wasn’t expecting something this impressive.

“You did great.”

“Oh, it was just about bringing out the potential that girl had.”

Mira smiled calmly. Hmm, since her main body is a heart, how does she manage that? I suppressed my curiosity and signaled the Bear Doll.

It started walking outside the building. Kashian was dragged along on its back, and we followed behind.

Before long, we discovered a wide open field that looked like the center of the city. That was our destination.

“Let’s go this way.”

We were at the third floor. I thought about moving up further, but since Kashian couldn’t use magic at the moment, I decided to stick to the third floor for now.

The people moving around the open field were scattering their blade-like magic. Most of them were swordsmen. And amid them, Kashian stood right in the middle of the wide field.

Her expression was quite awkward. Mira fussed over her appearance, adjusting her outfit carefully.

“This… Are we really doing this?”

Kashian asked with a sour expression. I nodded heavily. She sighed and hugged the Bear Doll.

“Then, I will begin.”

I spread my will to the dolls using the Shadow Tree. They responded to my signal and began to move in unison.

The ones surrounding us began casting the prepared magic. It was a light-emitting spell. The intense orbs of light that rose into the air started to shine brightly.

And the Mirror Bugs caught that light, sparkling and drawing the attention of the crowd. Naturally, eyes were drawn to Kashian, standing at the center.

As people paused to take in her illuminated figure, it was clear that this setup was quite effective. Had she looked as she did before, they would’ve just walked past.

Kashian, sensing the embarrassment, took a shy step back. But Mira gently held her steady.

“Don’t give up. You’ll be appearing again, after all. This is all for you.”

The Mirror Bug fluttered in the air, showcasing Kashian’s appearance. Some captured her current look while others played edited clips from previous duels.

The people froze, staring blankly at the screens. Nearby, the dolls set up a large sign.

“We’re looking for challengers for a duel without magic, pure swordsmanship.”

“Entry fee: 100 points. Victory reward: 1,000 points.”

Seeing that, I grinned. She would need more experience to become even more perfect. Just tweaking her movements wouldn’t suffice.

We needed more real battles and more duels to pull out her potential as much as possible. That was why I had asked them to let us come out.

Of course, I hadn’t planned to go this far at first. I knew it would overwhelm Kashian. So I initially wanted to hold quiet duels.

But after checking the information, I changed my mind. No methods or means could be ruled out. I had to help her grow, no matter what.

After considering the most effective path, I thought of this duel promotion. With a broad smile, I infused my magic and shouted.

“The top talent recognized by the Blade Association, Miss Kashian is waiting for you! We’re looking for those willing to engage in a conversation with pure swords without using magic. The entry fee is just a hundred points, and the one who wins will receive a whopping thousand points!”

I could see two swordsmen who had followed us looking at me with astonished expressions. But I didn’t care about them.

Didn’t that nameless young man say? That they wouldn’t interfere with anything in the city. So, no one should stop this duel.

I felt the glares of the vendors nearby, who were running their own businesses. We were interrupting their sales, after all. But hey, we were trying to sell too.

This open field was kind of like a street market. A free space for anything to be sold, you know. I learned about the rules of the city as we went on.

A place where anything could be sold, thus, a gathering of varied people. So, dueling could also be a product. We came here to sell that idea.

In the gleaming lights, Kashian stood quietly. Her unique vacant gaze accentuated her delicate appearance. Of course, she was just a bit dazed from somewhat giving up.

But no one dared approach. Which made sense. For them, dueling was considered a sacred realm.

The pride swordsmen held in their blades was immense. They likely hadn’t seen someone selling duels like a street performer, so it would feel uncomfortable for them.

Time continued to flow. But I didn’t give up, repeatedly distributing flyers and shining lights to draw in attention.

And how much time passed? Finally, someone approached. A giant had a sword strapped to his back. The sword was massive, just like his size.

“Who is that girl?”

He asked me. He seemed more interested in Kashian than the duel. But I didn’t mind. I had dressed her up precisely to attract that kind of attention.

Upon hearing that, he paused to contemplate. After a moment, he shook his head slightly and tried to back away. But I approached him and started whispering.

I pointed at the two observers who had followed us. The moment I indicated them, they were staring intently at me.

I raised my voice slightly so that everyone around could hear my last words. The two seemed to have heard it, snorting softly.

Of course, it was a lie. But it might not be entirely false. If Kashian were to lose here, it wouldn’t simply be a trivial matter.

Even those prepared by the association hadn’t been able to best her. If some street swordsman could beat her, the association might take a bit more notice.

Interest piqued, he extended his hand, offering me a ring. The Mirror Bug, bursting with light, approached it and poured magic into it. The points naturally flowed inside.

As I spoke, he faced Kashian. She stared at him vacantly. He towered over her, his head at least three sizes larger, giving her cheeks a slight squeeze.

I saw no signs of relaxation from him. In fact, he seemed somewhat tense. Which made sense. He had heard that Kashian was under the association’s scrutiny.

He cautiously drew his sword and approached her carefully. And the moment he was right in front of her, Kashian sliced him cleanly.

He collapsed, unconscious. The dolls quickly checked on him. His injuries weren’t severe. He had simply fainted from her overwhelming strength.

After a rough first aid, the dolls moved him to a corner of the open field. I stepped forward, gazing at the crumpled figure and clearing my throat to yell.

Somehow, I noticed the atmosphere shifting. The swordsmen, who had been casually looking at Kashian like a doll, were beginning to show sharper interest. It was clear they recognized her skills.

No wonder. That last strike was stunning, even to me. The opponent wasn’t a slouch either. From the magic I observed, he had some considerable skill, even for a third-floor standard.

Soon after, a few more approached. And they all fell in one stroke.

Watching that made me beam with satisfaction. As expected from drifters; none could properly deflect Kashian’s blade yet. The process of those duels was being captured by the Mirror Bugs.

I kept shouting that, while the dolls continued to use magic to promote. But few came forward.

As our six hours allowed began to draw to a close, we cleared up and followed the observers back to our room.

On this first day in the city, Kashian faced a total of ten opponents. I set a table before Kashian, who sprawled on the bed.

I prepared some snacks. It was honey tea, heavily infused with sweetness—the kind she loved. The aroma stirred her to wake naturally.

I handed her eight hundred out of a thousand points. The rest was for Mira and me. Since we just promoted, it was only fair.

Kashian said, sipping her tea. I shook my head. The Mirror Bug carrying the points soared towards her. Watching Kashian receive them, I spoke up.

Points should always be handled cautiously. It was advice stemming from my experience. As she nodded, she lifted her teacup. I raised my cup and closed my eyes, savoring the scent.

The beginning always felt fragile. But as it piled up, it became unignorable.

Every day, for six hours, we targeted the busiest evening hour and headed out.

As we continued those duels daily, she began to show a different side compared to the previous day. Her skills, and aura transformed.

Rumors about her began to spread, and people started to wait for her. More and more challengers came forth, and crowds began to form.

I chuckled at the accumulating scores. It was a hundred points per person. There was no one who could surpass Kashian’s skills, so the turnover was promising. The scores kept piling up.

Mira looked at me and said, that mischievous smile creeping onto her face. I shook my head seriously.

It was the fifth day since we had come outside. I watched her fight.

Her flowing outfit swayed in the wind with her movements. That flutter caught people’s gazes naturally.

As points piled up, her movements became smoother. The duels were naturally acclimating her transformed body. And we pulled out more changes based on those duels.

Within that cycle, her sword deepened bit by bit. And with that, the third opponent fell.

“`

 

---