Chapter 56

◈ Chapter 56: Lab Assistant Assignment (1)

The day after the public sparring match.

"Ugh. I'm so tired."

Aidan walked down the hallway with a gait resembling that of a zombie.

Even now, as soon as class ended, some students approached him, trying to strike up conversations or act friendly.

The excessive attention from other students was too much for Aidan, making him feel uncomfortable to the point of nausea.

"Ugh. Why did it come to this?"

"Well, it's because you showed off so much in front of everyone. Are you an idiot?"

Aidan's muttering was met with a scolding from Leo, who looked exasperated.

"Is that so?"

"Phew. You really have no self-awareness in this regard."

Leo sighed when he realized Aidan was being serious. Aidan scratched his head awkwardly.

Aidan is the type who dislikes showing off his abilities.

He entered Seorun more out of a pure love for magic than a desire to succeed as a wizard.

How many people like that are there in Seorun, including Aidan?

"Considering you not only defeated a noble in a magic duel but also used a strange magic to nullify spells, it would be strange if you didn't attract attention."

"R-Right?"

"Aidan, more importantly, what was the magic you used back then?"

Tae-si, who had been walking a step closer to Aidan than usual, couldn't contain her curiosity and asked.

Her eyes were filled with a strong determination to uncover the magic Aidan had used.

Under the weight of that intense gaze, Aidan hesitated to answer.

"Um, well... I learned it when I was young. It's nothing special."

"Nothing special? Hey, if it's nothing special, what are we then?"

"Right. Magic that can erase other magic. I've never heard of such a thing. Stop dodging and answer."

"Um..."

Aidan hesitated.

His teacher had strictly warned him not to reveal this magic lightly.

That was why he had been avoiding answering the persistent questions from other students.

He had been told it was fine to tell someone he truly trusted, but...

'Is it really okay?'

Aidan pondered for a moment.

Tae-si and Leo. They were both precious friends he had made in Seorun.

Since they had become friends before he started using anti-magic, he didn't think there was any political calculation involved in their relationship.

Suddenly, his teacher's words came to mind.

-You'll always have to make choices in life. When you do, follow your heart.

Follow your heart.

His teacher had said it casually, but Aidan had never forgotten this lesson.

Aidan made his decision.

"Alright. I'll tell you."

"Really?"

Aidan's serious response surprised Tae-si.

While she had pressed him hard, she hadn't really expected him to answer after seeing how tight-lipped he had been when other students asked him questions after class.

She had thought there might be some secret Aidan couldn't reveal, so she had just been probing.

"Let's move to a quieter place first."

The three of them headed to the Rose Garden, a spot rarely visited by students.

* * *

Under the bright sun, the Rose Garden was filled with a gentle fragrance.

Sitting on a quiet bench in the garden, surrounded by blooming roses of various colors, Aidan pondered how to start.

"Hmm. Where should I begin?"

He decided it would be best to start from the beginning and began to speak.

"The magic I used is called anti-magic, which can nullify other spells."

"I could tell that much from watching."

"So you call it anti-magic."

Leo and Tae-si had different reactions.

Aidan laughed awkwardly and continued.

"Um, and the one who taught me this magic was my teacher, a wandering wizard. Apparently, I'm the only one who can use anti-magic now."

"What? Why?"

"It seems only those with a unique constitution can use it. I didn't know until my teacher told me."

"Only those with a unique constitution can use it..."

"Who is this teacher of yours?"

The most curious thing for Tae-si and Leo was Aidan's teacher.

Who could this wandering wizard be to teach anti-magic? Someone with that level of skill would be famous wherever they went.

Aidan scratched his cheek with his index finger and replied.

"I don't know."

"What?!"

"Is that an answer?"

Under the sharp gazes of Tae-si and Leo, Aidan held up his hands in a hurry to explain.

"No! I'm serious! When I met my teacher, I was only eight years old. It was over ten years ago."

"Ten years..."

"Besides, he was such a free-spirited and unpredictable person that I don't know where he is now or what he's doing. I can't even contact him. When he left, he disappeared like the wind, so I never got a chance to ask his name."

"Wait, so you don't even know if he's alive or dead?"

"Um, but considering his skills, I think he's living well somewhere. That's what I believe."

To have such a calm reaction about a teacher who taught him such an extraordinary magic as anti-magic.

Tae-si wanted to say something but closed her lips tightly.

She realized that only Aidan could react this way.

Tae-si felt a wave of disappointment.

'I wanted to know more about Aidan.'

Suddenly, she realized she was paying too much attention to Aidan.

'Ah! No! I can't be interested! To me, only reviving our family is important!'

Tae-si immediately shook her head vigorously to clear her mind.

Her red hair, tied in two braids, swayed with the movement.

'It's just curiosity, simple curiosity. That's all.'

While Tae-si was struggling with her thoughts, Leo, who had been listening quietly, raised a question.

"Still, it's surprising. Even if it was ten years ago, how could the anti-magic you used not be known?"

"Um, maybe it's just that rare?"

"The rarer a magic is, the more famous it becomes because people are interested. Especially if it can erase other magic, it would be even more famous."

Anti-magic, by itself, has no lethal power.

Compared to other wizards, there seems to be less that can be done with anti-magic alone.

However, when facing another wizard, anti-magic shows an incredible performance.

"Aidan, does this anti-magic work regardless of the hierarchy of the magic?"

"Um, I'm not sure. Honestly, this is almost the first time I've used it properly. I've never had a reason to use it before."

"Didn't your teacher tell you anything about that?"

"He never explained it in detail. He's not the type to do that. Besides, I was just happy to learn magic back then, so I didn't think much about it."

"Phew."

Leo sighed at Aidan's answer.

It was a collaboration between a secretive and irresponsible teacher and a naive country boy who just loved magic.

"Still, Leo, why did you ask that?"

"Just a hunch. I vaguely remember something from the past."

"Remembered something?"

"You don't know your teacher's name, right?"

"Um, yeah. I never asked. Maybe he told me, but I don't remember."

"He probably didn't tell you. The fact that there's been no news from him in the past ten years is suspicious. Someone with that level of skill would be famous enough to be on the front page of a newspaper."

"R-Really?"

Aidan, who was a novice in such matters, couldn't give a proper answer.

"You might not realize it, but anti-magic is the kind of magic that would cause a stir just by existing, especially in the entire magic community."

"But it seems the other students don't know much about it."

"That means it was kept very secret. It's something current students learning magic wouldn't know about."

At this, Tae-si, who had been listening, interjected.

"But if it was that secret, wouldn't the teachers know? If they didn't, they wouldn't have left Aidan alone."

"Some of the teachers were surprised, with wide eyes. They knew about anti-magic, but seeing someone actually use it was a first for them."

"Did you notice that during the match?"

Leo nodded.

While everyone was watching Aidan use anti-magic, Leo focused on the audience's reactions.

A few people reacted as if they had known from the start.

They knew about anti-magic, knew Aidan was using it, and weren't surprised to see it in action.

"First, the principal."

"The principal? Well, the principal is a great person, so it makes sense. Anyone else?"

"Teachers like Mr. Hugo and Ms. Marie Ross, who have been teaching for a long time, also seemed to know. The new teachers didn't seem to know. However..."

"However?"

"Mr. Rudger Chellis was different."

"Mr. Rudger...?"

"Yes. Mr. Rudger's reaction was natural, as if he had known about Aidan's anti-magic from the beginning."

Aidan suddenly recalled Rudger's expression that day.

He had always been consistent, but now that he thought about it, his calm demeanor while Aidan used anti-magic was strange.

"Maybe Mr. Rudger knew about the anti-magic Aidan used to some extent."

"Knew? If he knew, to what extent?"

"I don't know. But I suspect he might have some connection to Aidan's teacher."

Tae-si immediately objected.

"Hey,