25. Too Harsh for Her (1)
No one could possibly understand Carla’s confusion.
There are only four people who absolutely know the fact that she was originally a man.
Herself, Enrico, Fabio, and Lord Cascata.
While the servants might know as well, Carla doesn’t consider them truly as people, so they aren’t counted.
Because of this, others fail to understand the turmoil Carla carries within her.
Moreover, even the three people who know she was originally a man can’t seem to understand her.
At least, that’s how it feels to her.
She had believed Lord Cascata, someone who seemed to understand her heart, but only realized the truth after his response.
She paid much too high a price—
And she realized this far too late.
*
“Ivan, you don’t look so good. Are you alright?”
As Ivan held Carla’s left sleeve, which was fluttering in the wind, he asked her.
With a pale face, Carla glanced at Ivan, her lips moving a few times, but finally, she shook her head with a small sigh.
However, this scene came as quite a shock to Ivan.
Carla, Carla della Cascata—his childhood friend, someone he hadn’t seen for ten years. Though he originally thought she was a boy, the truth that she was a girl didn’t change the fact that she was still his friend.
Or so he believed.
But look.
That downward gaze.
The long, thick eyelashes accompanying it.
The eyelashes trembling slightly as she sighed.
The blushed cheeks filled with concern, yet still carrying a rosy hue.
Her fine nose and her red lips.
“What are you staring at?”
Her voice—husky, but clear.
“Ah, no, it’s nothing. If you’re not feeling well, should we go to the infirmary? I’ll go with you.”
“It’s fine, I don’t need help.”
Being irritable requires energy. Normally, Carla would have rejected Ivan with sharp words, pushing him further, but with the series of shocking news she received lately, she lacked the strength.
“Well… okay then? Let’s go back to the classroom?”
“…Fine.”
This was rare, at least since she started school.
It was quite unusual to see Carla speaking so gently. Ivan didn’t notice that it was simply because she lacked strength.
“Oh, you’re back. The top scorer and the runner-up seem to have received quite the congratulations. Was there nothing for the third place?”
“I don’t even know who the third place is.”
Even though it was awkward to celebrate anyway…
There were only two of them in that place, so Carla gave a vague answer and sat back down in her seat.
“The third place was Wilhelm von Mittenburg. You should at least remember the name, Carla.”
“I don’t care.”
Lorenzo kept nagging, but soon realized Carla wasn’t listening at all.
Well, telling her something useless wouldn’t lead to her listening anyway.
“In any case, let me continue. After you graduate from this Academy, you will undergo an aptitude test again. Based on the results, you will be assigned to different combat roles, but all of you will still be military magicians. The only thing that changes is the division.”
Not all magicians are the same; they are generally divided into three categories: close combat, ranged combat, and support.
Close combat is subdivided into physical combat magicians. Ranged combat involves long-range and mid-range magical attacks, while support is largely categorized under enhancement magic.
“I don’t see any support-type magicians here… right, Emil?”
“Uh, y-yes?!”
Emil, who was listening attentively, was startled when his name was called.
“Have you mastered the familial magic of the Aufstuck family?”
“Ah, I… I only know the lower-tier magic…”
“Is that so? The Aufstuck family has long been renowned for its summoning magic, haven’t they? You haven’t reached the level of summoning yet?”
At these words, Emil’s face went completely pale.
Summoning magic, which is an advanced form of conjuration magic, differs significantly in power compared to normal summoning. The dimensional dragon summoned by Albina during the Academy’s attack was already a high-tier summoning spell, but it was still considered relatively low in the category of summoning. Some even say it’s possible to summon gods at its highest level.
Thus, Emil, as the eldest of the Aufstuck family, is required to master this summoning magic.
At least, he hasn’t achieved it yet.
“You should practice hard here at the Academy. It would be embarrassing if you fail to master your family’s specialized magic, wouldn’t it?”
“Y-yes…”
Emil nodded weakly and bowed his head. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away with his sleeve, unnoticed by everyone—
Or so he believed.
And Lorenzo quietly observed this Emil.
“By the way, as military magicians, you aren’t guaranteed to fight only on flat terrain. Mud is common. There could be enemy magicians nearby even in the battlefield. Bombs may fall while you fight—but balancing your body under such conditions is fundamental.”
Lorenzo put down the textbook he was holding, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers.
——Grrrrrr….
The surroundings shifted momentarily, and the environment transformed into a wilderness.
Somewhere, screams could be heard, and fiery meteorites were falling from the sky.
“Everyone, stand up.”
At Lorenzo’s command, all the students stood up.
“Huh?!”
Liam’s deep gasp.
Somehow, the muddy ground had begun sucking their feet in. The steady stone floor they had been standing on was now causing their balance to waver.
“Try to keep your balance. Don’t fall. While maintaining your balance, each of you is to cast one spell.”
Lorenzo’s voice remained calm.
The muddy ground reached the platform where Lorenzo was standing, yet his balance never faltered. In fact, as he adjusted himself to the undulating floor, he even managed to ignite a small flame at his fingertips.
Just staying balanced on the shaking ground is already quite a feat.
But to concentrate and perform magic amid such instability is another story entirely.
Liam, who managed to ignite flames at his fingertips but kept them flickering before they went out.
Emil, who attempted to cast a minor magical bolt only to stumble.
Regina, attempting to float an icy crystal but letting out a scream and landing hard on her bottom.
And—
“Ugh, urgh…?!”
Carla, who couldn’t even stand.
She could barely rise before burying her beautiful face into the mud, making her look utterly disheveled.
If only her arms weren’t impaired.
If only her arms were in working condition…
Then, perhaps, I could handle something like this…
Magic flows solely through Carla’s right arm.
Even though magic was also channeled into her legs, balancing the body relies purely on physical strength.
Even if she managed to stand, she couldn’t stabilize her upper body. Thus, Carla was helpless to properly respond.
“Carla, are you alright?!”
Ivan rushed to Carla, who barely managed to support herself with her right hand as she awkwardly leaned forward.
Ivan… Ivan.
Ivan seemed perfectly alright.
He balanced himself as well as Lorenzo, swaying with the ground while small whirlwinds swirled effortlessly behind him.
“…You.”
A muffled sound escaped Carla’s lips.
“I’ll help you!”
Ivan inserted his arms beneath Carla’s armpits.
The right side was fine, but the left—
There was nothing to hold her up, and Ivan’s arm slipped through.
Eventually, Ivan’s hand inadvertently covered Carla’s breast.
Squishy, soft… bouncy and warm, overflowing even in his palm…
“Eek.”
Ivan let out a small scream and quickly withdrew his hand.
Because of this, Carla, who had managed to rise slightly with the help of his hand, fell face-first back into the mud.
“Did you… on purpose…?”
“No! I-I didn’t touch you on purpose…!”
Carla glared at Ivan, shaking her face to remove the mud.
The soft, nearly squishy feeling still lingered on his fingertips, turning Ivan pale as he waved his hands at Carla.
“…Go away. I don’t need your help.”
Struggling, Carla barely managed to stand up.
But it was only temporary—she soon lost her balance and tilted to the left.
“Well then, that will be all.”
Lorenzo snapped his fingers again, and the illusion surrounding them disappeared like a lie.
The blood-red sky showered with bombs, the wilderness filled with screams and moans, all vanished instantly as the students found themselves back in the ordinary classroom.
Each student had regained their normal forms, standing awkwardly, sitting on the floor, half-standing half-sitting—among them was Carla, lying on her side.
“I’ll help you, Carla…”
But Carla didn’t even look at Ivan.
Without so much as a glance, Carla said while still lying down.
“Liam, help me.”
“Oh, alright. Got it.”
As Liam approached and extended his hand, Carla grabbed it.
With ease, Liam hoisted Carla up as if it were effortless. After letting go of his hand, Carla sat back down in her chair as if nothing had happened. Ivan watched this scene awkwardly before returning to his own seat.
‘Ivan…’
Regina, too, watched the scene unfold, her face carrying an enigmatic smile.
