Chapter 53

“Bestie.”

Riana asked quietly.

“How many lashes should the whip punishment be?”

“In principle, it’s ten. If magic was used but the other party wasn’t harmed, then ten.”

“What if there was minor harm?”

“If there was even minor harm, then it’s fifty lashes. If there was serious harm, then it’s up to the victim’s discretion after that.”

“Then.”

Riana clenched her fist and then extended her index finger.

“One. Give me one lash first.”

“One? Are you sure that’s enough?”

“I said ‘first’ one lash.”

“Ah…!”

Bestie nodded with a warm smile, then turned back to the guard with a cold expression and ordered.

“Execute.”

“Ri, Riana! We’re friends, right? How can you do this over a little prank… Aah!!”

Ssshhhk-

At the moment when the faint-hearted turned their heads away, the sound of tearing flesh echoed across the square.

“Haahk, ugh, uh…”

Under the merciless lashing, the clothes tore, revealing a swollen line of bare skin.

Bestie coldly watched the trainee writhing in pain, then turned her gaze back to Riana.

“Trainee Riana? As you requested, one lash has been executed. What should we do next?”

“……”

Riana walked forward with angry strides.

She grabbed the chin of the slumped trainee and lifted it, staring directly into their eyes.

“Ah, uh… I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me…”

The trainee, who had glared at Riana with venomous eyes, now only had a look of desperation on their face.

“Then say it with your own mouth. What did you do wrong!”

“My, my mouth?”

“I won’t reduce the number of lashes until you admit your wrongdoing. Say it before I count to three. One, two, three…”

“I’ll say it, I’ll say it! I was wrong!”

“Good, what did you do wrong?”

“I messed up your bed and bedding because I thought you were coming back late!”

“And?”

“I, I tried to shoot a firebolt at you…”

“Tried to?”

“……”

“Speak clearly.”

Riana released the trainee’s chin and stepped back.

Then she turned to Bestie.

“Bestie.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“It seems they still haven’t fully realized their wrongdoing. Give them one more lash.”

“Did you hear that? Execute.”

“No, no! I shot a firebolt at you! I did it! I shot… Kyaaah!”

Another desperate scream echoed along with the sound of the whip.

Riana grabbed the trainee’s chin again and lifted it.

“Before we execute one more lash, let me confirm. You didn’t shoot a firebolt at me, you tried to shoot it. Right?”

“No, no! I shot it! I didn’t just try, I shot it!”

“Right, so you shot it. That’s wrong, isn’t it?”

“Yes! I was wrong. I was wrong, so please…”

“Eight more to go.”

Riana coldly stated.

“Execute the rest.”

She then released the trainee’s chin and slowly, leisurely stepped aside.

The trainee called out Riana’s name with hollow eyes.

“Ri, Riana? I admitted my wrongdoing…”

“You did very well. Now, face the consequences of your actions and be a good example to everyone. Bestie, execute.”

Bestie, who had met Riana’s gaze, frowned slightly but then calmly said.

“Execute.”

Ssshhhk-

“Ugh, ugh…”

The trainee, who had lost their spirit, couldn’t even scream during the remaining eight lashes, only letting out low moans.

By the time the ten lashes were done, they had already fainted.

Finally, the execution of the whip punishment ended, and only silence remained at the scene.

Bestie broke the silence with a shout.

“Did you all see? Magic is a useful and incredibly abundant resource when used well, but it is also a terrifying power. That’s why the Magic Tower strictly punishes mages who use magic for selfish purposes without permission, labeling them as heretics. So, you must not end up like this, right?”

“……”

“Answer me!”

“Yes, yes!!”

Bestie, who always showed a warm demeanor, this time firmly and charismatically took control of the trainees.

“And you all.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Us?”

Bestie didn’t even look at them as she spoke, but the other trainees who had tormented Riana flinched and answered.

“You’re all expelled. As you’ve already heard.”

“Ex, expelled! Please don’t do this, Bestie!”

“We didn’t use magic like they did! We were going to return the bedding to its original state, no, even better!”

“……”

Bestie listened to their excuses but said nothing.

Then, after a moment, she casually asked as if nothing had happened.

“What are you doing there? Didn’t you hear the word ‘expelled’?”

“Bestie…?”

“The words of trainees who have already been decided to be expelled hold no value. Since you’re already out, don’t come back to the training hall. If you do, it will be considered trespassing, and you will be punished.”

“Ugh, ugh… This is too much!”

“How can you do this! Just wait! We’ll definitely…!”

The expelled trainees glared fiercely at Riana.

“Do you think you’ll get away with doing this to us?”

“It’s all because of you. We’ll make sure you pay!”

“Even if you become a mage, we’ll carry this grudge for the rest of our lives, you witch!”

The expelled trainees left the square, unable to hide their resentment.

Then, Bestie clicked her tongue and spoke to the remaining trainees.

“Being envious, jealous, and hating other trainees. Having those feelings isn’t wrong. It’s natural human emotion. But you must not resolve those negative feelings in a foolish and lowly way. Rise higher through skill and achievement. That is…”

Bestie pointed to the towering Rostia Magic Tower.

“The true duel of the Magic Tower, of mages. That’s all. Dismissed.”

The trainees entered the training hall with mixed expressions.

“Trainee Riana.”

Bestie called out to Riana as she was about to leave.

“Now you’re the only one left in your original room. What should we do? You can keep using that room, or you can move to another one. What do you want?”

“……”

Riana closed her eyes for a moment.

In the situation where the other trainees had returned to their rooms and she was left alone, she savored the rare quiet atmosphere.

‘Loneliness.’

It was the first time she had felt it, but the loneliness that came after the noise, chaos, and anger felt incredibly sweet and peaceful to Riana.

“Bestie.”

“Yes, Trainee Riana. Go ahead.”

“I don’t want to mix with the other trainees. I don’t think they want that either. So, since I’m alone now, can I keep using the room by myself?”

“Of course. But…”

Bestie put away her cold expression and nodded gently, but then spoke to Riana in a somewhat worried tone.

“If you get used to loneliness, you might never escape it. Remember that, Trainee Riana.”

“…… Thank you, Bestie. I’ll keep that in mind.”

When Riana returned to her room, the broken bed legs and torn bedding had not yet been repaired or replaced.

But Riana was extremely tired.

However, she didn’t want to lie on the other beds that still carried the scent and traces of those who had tormented her.

In the end, after some thought, Riana lay down on her original bed.

The position was awkwardly tilted, and the exposed parts between the tears felt slightly cool, making the temperature uneven, but…

“Phew…”

Riana felt truly ‘comfortable’ for the first time in a long while.

In loneliness.

“What did you feel?”

“……!”

Riana, startled, sat up, and the intruder who had entered without a sound was already standing in the middle of the room.

“You are…”

“I asked what you felt.”

Riana couldn’t easily answer the sudden intruder, Ronos’s question.

It was the first time she had felt loneliness, the first time she had felt hatred.

And in fact, there was one more thing.

‘Schadenfreude.’

With each lash that struck the back of the trainee who had tormented her, Riana felt a thrilling sense of schadenfreude.

“You’re a very talented and hardworking sprout.”

“But I failed the test. I failed even a simple spell, and now I’m being retrained.”

“Hoho, I see something in your eyes. You already know, don’t you? That it wasn’t your fault that you failed.”

“……!”

Ronos had already read Riana’s thoughts.

“Realizing that is proof of your excellence. Since you’ve found the root of the problem, I’ll give you an answer as a reward. On the day of the test, the spell I’ll cast on that staff is very simple. It’s a spell that dismisses ambiguous winds. So, clearly realize what you want and long for it. That’s the only answer.”

Ronos turned away after saying what he needed to say.

Then, he slightly turned his head and added.

“If you enter the Magic Tower, I’ll take you as my disciple.”

“Your disciple…?”

The disciple of the Archmage.

This meant that she could easily rise to the rank of High Magician, and even further, the possibility of becoming an Archmage herself greatly increased.

“I will!”

Riana clenched her teeth.

“I will definitely pass, I will!”

“Hoho… Good. I’ll be waiting.”

When Riana blinked, Ronos was no longer there.

“The reason I must learn magic and become strong. That is…”

A flame began to burn in Riana’s chest.

“I will definitely become a strength to Kairon oppa. If I can do that, I’ll do anything, no matter what…!”

But that flame wasn’t purely fueled by passion.

Hatred, suspicion, and contempt for people.

The flame of a girl who had already realized the cold reality.

Somewhere, that flame was tainted.