Chapter 53

EP.53 Resty Elenoa (4)

Tracker, Kalt.

He is a knight who has experienced the battlefield.

Perhaps it would be inaccurate to say he merely experienced it. Kalt was with the elite knights on the front lines.

He assisted Knight Commander Heinzel.

He supported the elite mages who were former tower masters.

Although his main duty was to assist, no one ever questioned the necessity of Kalt. No one looked down on him for being of common birth.

Kalt stood by their side solely because of his own abilities. On the front lines, there is no time to care about one's background. There, soldiers are handled based on their usefulness.

And, Kalt was a good soldier.

He was exceptionally intelligent.

He was perceptive and quick to judge. He possessed all the virtues required on the battlefield. His talent as a Tracker was also outstanding.

A talented person will stand out no matter where they are. This is especially true on the battlefield, where life and death are at stake. Kalt once imagined such a situation. It wasn't difficult to imagine; any knight who had experienced the front lines would have encountered something similar.

It would be.

Opened at the center of the King's Road, fully completed.

"..."

Kalt gripped the chain a little tighter.

"Still, I should send a message."

Even if the worst-case scenario were to happen, as long as the Ashen Mage was on the King's Road, a response would be possible. Kalt had no doubt about his abilities.

However, it wouldn't hurt to be prepared. Kalt took out a piece of paper from his coat.

A letter that every knight who had worked under Knight Commander Heinzel had at least one of.

Rustle.

Kalt inscribed the words with mana. As he completed a sentence, the letters began to disappear one by one from the first character. This was a signal that the recipient had read the letter.

Rustle, rustle.

He inscribed the letter for a long time. After a brief pause, all the letters vanished like melting snow.

"Understood."

The reply on the now blank paper was concise.

"Support will be sent."

Immediately, a name appeared. Kalt confirmed the name.

"Hero, Kyle Toven."

That was the only name written on the paper. However, it didn't feel insufficient.

"Enough."

Kalt muttered to himself.

2.

The facilities of the Central Academy are well-maintained.

The bed sheets always feel sun-dried and fluffy, and thanks to the daily cleaning by the caretakers, there is hardly any dust.

Among these rooms, one is excessively clean. The room's owner is so obsessed with ventilation that there is not a trace of any smell.

A room that lacks any sense of life.

A room that is excessively clean.

The girl who owns this room looks at the clock.

Tick, tick.

Only the ticking of the clock makes a sound. In the silent room, even this sound seems loud. However, Resty doesn't hear it.

"I will observe and judge."

This is because another voice is echoing in her ears.

"Whether the mage is suitable for the position or not."

A firm voice continues to resonate in her ears.

'...It feels strange.'

Something felt odd.

Those words were not exactly a compliment. She had clearly stated that she would observe and judge.

Depending on her judgment, she might lose everything. If that person decided she was "unsuitable"...

'If I accept that recommendation...'

Resty imagined what would happen next.

No one would doubt that person's qualifications. Unlike herself, that person would have the necessary qualifications.

That person resembled the Ashen Mage.

With just a month's worth of achievements, that person's skills were already proven.

If that person decided to...

They could take away the position of the next tower master, the city of Elenoa, and everything that makes up Resty Elenoa.

So.

It was normal for her to feel a sense of crisis from that person's words, "I will observe and judge."

"But, why."

Why do those words feel good to hear? She couldn't understand the reason.

Only, a pleasant flutter remained.

Actually, she had a rough idea.

It was just a little embarrassing to admit.

"..."

Resty looks at the pen at the edge of her desk. It was the pen she always carried.

"Can you do it?"

The voice of the person who picked up the pen that had fallen to the floor and handed it to her echoes in her ears.

She recalls the expectant gaze.

That gaze.

Was very unfamiliar to Resty.

...Resty had received countless gazes over the past three years. After ascending to the position of the next tower master, many people came to see her.

Each time, Resty demonstrated her magic.

She showed the summoning spell she had demonstrated to the elders and looked at them with an expectant face.

But they looked at her with disappointed eyes. Resty's summoning spell wasn't lacking. Her magic wasn't poor.

It was just that...

"Compared to that person, it's nothing."

"I thought you had the potential to succeed that person..."

They were looking for traces of someone else in her. No one looked at her for who she was.

They had their own expectations and were disappointed on their own terms.

Each time, Resty lost a bit of her expression.

She lost a bit of her interest in magic.

Because everything she did was just compared.

"..."

No one looked at her.

Everyone was looking for the Ashen Mage in her. She had suffered so much from those gazes that now, just seeing those eyes made her feel nauseous.

But.

'That person.'

That person was different.

"I think you can do this."

Resty recalls the blue eyes that looked at her.

"Can you solve it?"

That person was different.

"Amazing."

That person always looked at her. They never looked for the Ashen Mage in her. They smiled with interest and praised her with amazement.

It was unfamiliar.

It was unfamiliar, and yet, it was also something she longed for.

Before she knew it, she was smiling.

"..."

Resty touched her lips.

Her lips were relaxed.

...Thinking about it, it was a funny thing.

For the past three years, she had received cold gazes. She had heard people criticize her. She had been told that the position wasn't hers.

'But now...'

Just hearing a single word, she feels motivated. Even to her, it seems strange.

Moreover, that single word was far from encouragement. It was just a statement that they would judge her from now on.

It wasn't encouragement.

It wasn't praise.

It wasn't even acknowledgment.

It was just a statement that they would observe her.

"..."

But.

"That's enough."

For Resty, that was enough. She had endured the past three years for the sake of one elder who observed her.

Now, one more gaze had been added.

That was enough.

Grip.

Resty reached out and grabbed the pen.

She got up from the bed and sat down at her desk.

She turned on the mana lamp and looked at the research report on the desk. She lightly brushed off the dust on the report.

She looked at the clock.

It was late at night.

She couldn't sleep.

Rustle.

The sound of the pen gliding over the paper swallowed the ticking of the clock.

Rustle, rustle.

The sound continued until dawn.

Author's Note:

The nickname "Sympathy Mage" was spread by Sara and Remia. They told the knights it was revenge for the torn clothes :(

(End of Chapter)