Chapter 18

Princess of the Arpen Duchy, Delia.

She is a half-blood born between a human and a fairy. She was especially famous for being blessed with the Blessing of Mana from birth.

Moreover, she had an innate talent for magic.

Perhaps because of this, Delia grew up with high expectations from many people since she was young. She was even called the future of the Duchy.

When she turned eight years old.

The Duchy invited a famous mage to teach Delia. And that’s when she met the girl with apricot-colored hair.

‘Diplyn Cernio.’

A court mage of the Rubens Empire.

She was one of the most renowned mages on the continent at the time.

Above all, Diplyn was also a half-blood, born of a human and a fairy, just like Delia. Because of this, Delia felt a special kinship with her and served Diplyn as her teacher with utmost sincerity.

‘But…….’

Not anymore.

Because she had realized the truth.

Diplyn didn’t see her students as students, but only as experimental subjects for her research.

In the past, Diplyn had taken on dozens of students besides Delia. But most of the students who learned magic from her ended up as cripples.

Due to excessive magical training, their magic power would go berserk, damaging their hearts.

And among them.

Was Delia’s half-sibling.

A cute sibling who always greeted her with a bright smile. But just a week after becoming Diplyn’s student, they became a cripple.

What was even more shocking.

Was Diplyn’s reaction upon hearing the news.

「Ah, their magic power went berserk.」

A voice that showed no sign of disturbance.

She looked as calm as if she had expected this to happen.

「What a pity. Even though they were human, I thought they might succeed since they shared your blood. But it seems the qualities of a mage truly come from the fairy side, not the human.」

She didn’t even shed a tear or show any sorrow. Delia had thought Diplyn would at least offer some words of comfort to her sibling.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she smiled and said this.

「Ordinary humans have their limits, so this isn’t something you should worry about. By the way, where did we leave off in the last class?」

Seeing her casually bring up the class as if nothing had happened, Delia ran away from the spot. She felt nauseous.

And from that day on.

Until the day Diplyn left the Duchy, Delia never attended her classes again.

‘But who would have thought…….’

That they would meet again in a place like this.

Moreover, their statuses had changed. Diplyn was now the head of the Magic Department at Arsen Academy. Meaning, whether she liked it or not, Delia would have to face her from now on.

Just as she felt a headache coming on.

A huge shadow suddenly loomed over her.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Delia quietly looked up. What came into view was a giant young man with reddish-brown hair tied back.

It was Ulan.

‘An exhibitionist.’

That was her first impression of him.

Seeing him walking around shirtless made him seem like someone with an exhibitionist disorder.

‘A man who insists his brute strength is magic.’

Next was what she felt during the exam.

No matter how she looked at it, Ulan was a warrior.

And a highly skilled one at that. She couldn’t understand why someone like him was taking a magic aptitude test.

‘And…….’

One more thing. Something she just realized.

As she stared at his broad back, like a prairie, Delia’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

‘A strange person.’

Ulan had instantly seen through Diplyn’s true nature.

Just by looking into her eyes.

Moreover, he even managed to extract an Oath of Mana from her. And he did so knowing full well that she was the head of the department.

While she was looking at Ulan with curious eyes.

“The exam begins!”

The voice of the assistant proctor rang out.

Along with the announcement, a giant magic golem appeared.

‘For now, focus on the exam.’

After making her decision.

Delia immediately began searching for the magic core. Or, she tried to. But at that moment, Ulan moved first.

Whoosh! Whirr!

He suddenly threw his axe.

The spinning axe flew straight into the magic golem’s forehead, splitting it cleanly in half.

“……Huh?”

For a moment, her mind went blank.

A moment later, Delia barely regained her composure and shouted at Ulan.

“What are you doing?!”

“It’s fine. I’m used to hunting demon beasts.”

A nonsensical reply came back.

Ulan then spoke indifferently.

“I’ve split countless demon beasts in half, and none of them had their core in the middle of their torso.”

“…….”

No, that’s a demon beast, and this is a golem.

Delia furrowed her brows. Just hearing his ignorant response made her head throb.

Just then, the magic golem moved again.

Fortunately, its core wasn’t destroyed. Delia let out a sigh of relief and turned to Ulan while the golem was reconstructing itself.

‘I’ll find the magic core, and you go retrieve it.’

That’s what she intended to say.

But before she could even move her lips.

“Got it. I’ll do that.”

Ulan nodded first.

She hadn’t even said anything yet. Delia frowned. But what Ulan said next made her eyes widen.

“You’re planning to locate the magic core, right?”

“……!”

Her golden eyes shook slightly.

A look of surprise. It was understandable. It felt like he had read her mind.

“How did you…?”

“You had that look on your face.”

Ulan replied nonchalantly.

He had spent a long time with other heroes in his past life. As a result, he had become familiar with the habits and expressions of his comrades.

So he just made an educated guess.

About what Delia was planning to do.

“Anyway, I’ll buy us some time.”

Ulan charged at the fully regenerated magic golem. Then, swinging his axe, he began to engage in battle with the golem.

Wham! Crack! Thud!

At first glance, it seemed like a fierce battle, but in reality, it was anything but. Ulan was completely dominating. He was literally controlling the fight to buy time.

A moment later, the location of the magic core was revealed.

“Right thigh.”

As soon as Delia’s voice stopped.

Wham! Crunch!

Ulan’s axe cleanly carved out the area. Soon, the magic core was in his hand. Ulan smiled with satisfaction.

“One down.”

This was just the beginning.

Ulan and Delia showcased fantastic teamwork as they steadily retrieved the magic cores.

A speed far beyond the average.

The examinees watched in awe.

“Wow, they’re incredibly fast!”

“Were magic golems always this weak?”

“Are they really the same age as us?”

A mix of amazement, shock, envy, and jealousy.

Under the gaze of various eyes, Ulan and Delia were close to their final goal. Just as they were facing the fourth magic golem.

Delia’s eyebrows twitched.

‘What was that just now?’

For a moment, she felt an unusual surge of magic.

Just in case, she glanced around the exam area. Then, by chance, her eyes met Diplyn’s on the podium.

“……!”

Eyes burning with pure desire.

The gaze of a researcher filled with intense obsession.

Seeing this, Delia instinctively knew.

That Diplyn had definitely pulled something.

And at that moment.

Crack! Boom!

With a loud noise, the ground suddenly split in half.

What appeared next was the fifth magic golem.

It was different from the ones they had faced before.

Its torso was swollen as if it would burst at any moment, its once calm eyes now burned like fire, and a massive amount of magic power spewed out like steam.

‘A berserk magic golem!’

Magic golems are dolls powered by magic.

If more magic power than it can handle is injected, it’s highly likely to overload and go berserk.

And in this place.

There’s only one person who would do such a thing.

‘Diplyn……!’

Delia bit her lip tightly.

She didn’t know why or for what purpose Diplyn had done this. But right now, the most important thing was to deal with that golem.

So she quickly began chanting a spell.

To set up a protective barrier.

But time was running out.

Crack! Boom!

A fierce attack rained down.

The terrifying force shattered her calm in an instant. The spell wasn’t complete, and Delia’s face turned pale.

‘No, it’s too late!’

Sensing the impending pain.

She tightly closed her eyes.

Wham! Crack!

A massive arm struck Delia. The impact felt like it had crushed part of her torso.

But surprisingly, there was no pain.

What’s going on? Delia cautiously opened her eyes. Then, she made a surprised expression. She had found someone she never expected.

“Are you okay?”

It was Ulan. Delia was stunned.

Why is he here? Wasn’t he fighting far away? As she was engulfed in confusion.

“You looked like you were in danger, so I came to save you.”

It seemed he had read her expression again.

As her golden eyes trembled like ripples, Ulan’s voice was heard once more.

“As long as you’re safe.”

With his usual blunt tone.

Ulan’s gaze changed. Then, grabbing the magic golem’s arm with both hands, he slammed it into the ground.

Boom!

The magic golem was slammed upside down.

Soon, a massive fist flew towards it.

Wham! Thud! Crack!

A barrage of brutal punches. She wondered why he wasn’t using his axe, but it seemed he had thrown it away when he came to save her.

‘For me…….’

She had once heard something like this. That for a warrior, their weapon is as important as their life.

But he threw it away just to come here? Why? Delia couldn’t shake off her confusion.

Just then.

Boom!

The magic golem, which had been thoroughly beaten by Ulan, exploded with a loud noise. It meant it had lost its magic core.

Soon, fragments scattered everywhere.

The examinees gasped. Those who had been watching the scene with blank eyes blinked rapidly.

The venue fell silent in an instant.

A moment later, various reactions followed.

“D-did he just punch it?”

“He took down a magic golem with his bare hands……?”

“And it was a berserk golem too.”

“Is that barbarian really a mage?!”

Amidst the flood of various reactions.

Delia’s eyes caught sight of a large hand.

A hand covered in calluses. It was Ulan’s hand. She was still sitting on the ground, looking up at him, and her lips moved.

“Why… me?”

“Because you’re an important person.”

Contrary to the question she barely managed to ask.

Ulan gave a straightforward answer. And upon hearing this, countless thoughts raced through Delia’s mind.

An important person? What does that mean?

We just met today.

Does he know I’m the princess of the Duchy? Or is he a mercenary secretly hired by the Duchy to protect me?

All sorts of speculations popped up.

Delia shook her head vigorously.

No answer would come from pondering alone.

It’s better to just ask directly.

“What… do you mean?”

Suppressing her trembling, she asked.

But Ulan, who had been answering so smoothly, hesitated. He made a somewhat troubled expression. What could be the reason for that look?

As his golden eyes wavered.

“It might sound a bit strange…….”

Ulan began.

He scratched his head as if unsure how to phrase it. As if pondering how to bring it up.

Then, he suddenly lowered his stance to face Delia. In a voice only she could hear, he whispered.

“We’re meant to be together in the future.”

“……What, what?”

“In 10 years, no, 30 years, we’ll still be together. That’s why I saved you. That’s the only reason.”

A completely unexpected answer.

Hearing this, she made a blank expression again.

The future? 30 years? Together?

‘That sounds like…….’

Delia’s cheeks turned slightly red.

Her eyes trembled with agitation. For some reason, her entire body felt hypersensitive. She could even feel her heartbeat, which she hadn’t noticed before.

As she was lost in her imagination.

Ulan spoke in a calm tone.

“Don’t think too deeply about it. It’s not something you need to worry about right now.”

What?! How can I not think deeply after hearing something like that?!

Delia wanted to shout that.

But she couldn’t. Because of an uninvited guest who suddenly appeared between them.

“Wow, this is really amazing.”

A cheerful, bouncy voice.

A girl with apricot-colored hair.

“I never thought you could take down a golem with your bare hands.”

The mastermind of this commotion, smiling slyly.

It was Diplyn Cernio.

Chapter 6. My Magic Has Always Been Like This.

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