༺ Andante (2) ༻
The last week of June.
It was the final stretch until the most anticipated vacation, but also when the final exams at The Academy commenced.
The atmosphere was tense and somber, except for those who didn’t care about their grades or attended solely for establishing connections.
Especially on the fifth day when the practical examination took place, overseen by Yuriel and other professors, rather than the theoretical exam.
‘……Impressive.’
Yuriel Wayne Dayna Louerg couldn’t help but admire Laura, who was also knowledgeable in theory.
The ability to adapt quickly to various circumstances was the key factor in the practical test of Elemental Magic.
Dots.
Lines.
Planes.
Three-dimensional structures.
Identifying the magic formulas based on these factors and breaking them down or neutralizing them was a sound strategy.
It was crucial to have an efficient method of combat that didn’t solely rely on the caster’s total mana capacity.
Efficient manipulation of natural phenomena to counter the opponent’s magic was vital.
For example, if the enemy used fire-based magic, the other party should respond with water-based magic to create high-temperature steam and inflict damage.
Fire and water transformed by magic power fell under the realm of magic and could be neutralized by identifying their formulas. However, the high-temperature steam resulting from the collision of these two magics could not be easily countered.
In this regard, Laura’s response speed was astounding.
It didn’t align with the image of a fragile girl who often stuttered when speaking.
Her technique and instinct could be considered an innate talent.
Moreover, she seemed to have a wealth of experience.
‘Her skill in elemental magic as a warlock is exceptional… It’s pure talent, unrelated to her assimilation rate.’
She manipulated the atmosphere filled with hot water vapor, creating mirages to blur vision and using them for an attack.
The atmosphere and the ground, which belonged to the realm of interference rather than transmutation, couldn’t be neutralized.
Combining additional natural phenomena in the midst of combat was the epitome of the beautiful art of elemental magic.
Yuriel, impressed by what she witnessed, wholeheartedly congratulated Laura.
Simultaneously, she checked off a box next to Laura’s name on her checklist.
* * * * *
“Ha…”
After completing the second practical exam on elemental magic, Laura returned to her dormitory and decided to take a bath. She had already finished most of the exams for her various liberal arts classes and major subjects.
Only one exam remained: Ferzen’s black magic practice.
‘They said it would take about half a day to travel there.’
It was currently 1:00 PM, and the departure was scheduled for 4 o’clock, so she still had plenty of time.
Once she is done with the black magic practical exam, the final exams would be over, and the vacation would begin. During that time, she would accompany Ferzen to Louerg in the north.
She missed her hometown, Rosenberg, and it had been a while since she had seen her parents. However, she couldn’t share the burden of her curse with them, nor could she leave the responsibility of restraining her to them.
So far, Ferzen had done a good job of keeping her in check, so she didn’t worry too much.
But when she tried to envision her future…
‘I couldn’t see it…’
Where and what would her future self be doing? Would she successfully overcome the curse and live a normal life? Or would she still be by Ferzen’s side, dependent on him?
She had been pondering over these thoughts a lot lately. However, she also considered that becoming Ferzen’s concubine wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
He already had two wives, so he wouldn’t need her to bear his heirs.
Although she still didn’t understand why the curse of the Genova bloodline had manifested in her current body, where the blood of the Genova didn’t flow…
Since it had happened to her, there was a high chance that her child would also inherit the curse.
Even if she assumed that the curse engraved in her soul was a special case that applied only to herself…
Laura didn’t want to partake in that cruel gamble.
She was extremely reluctant about pregnancy, even more so than when she was still Isabel.
Yes, she was still young.
Therefore, she had to explore other options that she hadn’t considered before.
After all, she was tired of constantly managing and controlling herself.
Therefore, she decided to remain silent and let others take control of her life.
* * * * *
“They should start coming soon.”
It was 3:30 PM, and Ferzen stood in front of the carriage that had stopped near the front gate of The Academy. He glanced at the tall clock tower and noticed the expressions of the coachmen, the three knights, and the wizards around him brightening momentarily.
“Excuse me… Professor, may I ask why you chose Ruefeld Forest as the venue for the practical exam?”
If the goal was simply to assess the students’ autonomous control technique, there would be no need to involve the Imperial Knights or the Magic Corps. Ferzen could have recruited common soldiers and intentionally created a combat situation.
However, Ferzen chose to take the students to Ruefeld Forest, which was half a day away from The Academy. This decision raised confusion among the knights and the wizards.
“I think you misunderstand.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I didn’t decide to go there to see how good their autonomous control technique is.”
Confusion deepened among the listeners.
“What I want to see is their mastery of the autonomous control technique.”
Was there a difference between the autonomous control technique Ferzen had in mind and the one considered by an Apollyon-class Warlock?
The knight couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by his confusion, realizing that Ferzen’s response only raised more questions.
“I wonder if all the students understand that as well.”
“In that case, they simply won’t receive high marks.”
If the test was to be graded purely on whether they fought or not, the students could perform some maneuvers. They could rely solely on the combat experience of the Corps, providing only feedback.
However, if that were the approach they took, the majority of students would not score well on this test.
Ferzen’s intention was simply to assess the level of autonomous control the students have.
‘After all, misinterpreting and distorting intentions is……’
Strictly their own fault.
“Here they come.”
A group of familiar faces approached one by one from the distance.
Ferzen pulled out a list and began checking them off, focusing on assessing their performance.
* * * * *
Creak-!!
Lizzy pushed her wheelchair closer to the two Merchant Wagons known for their capacity to transport large numbers of people.
However, as she approached Ferzen, her wheelchair seemed to slow down.
She had exposed all her weaknesses to him at the masquerade hall, and she couldn’t bear to look at his face. The memory of urinating on the terrace while under his control was so humiliating and degrading that she wanted to erase it from her mind.
She was certain that he must think of her as pathetic, although he wouldn’t show it openly. Perhaps he would even sneer at her as soon as she approached him.
‘No…’
She couldn’t let herself be shaken.
She didn’t want her enemies to look down upon her.
In fact, it was somewhat amusing that she wanted to be considered Ferzen’s equal so that he wouldn’t ignore her.
The fact that he looked down on her might even make him careless… Wasn’t that something to be happy about?
After reassuring herself with such thoughts, Lizzy arrived in front of Ferzen.
“Lizzy Poliana Claudia… is here.”
“Okay, get on.”
“Yes.”
She maneuvered her wheelchair forward, trying her best not to show her emotions.
However, Ferzen whispered something to her as she passed by…
Creak-!!
Lizzy momentarily lost focus, losing control of her body.
「 The smell of your perfume is strong. 」
He whispered those words.
There shouldn’t have been any hidden meaning behind them.
Yes, it was supposed to be insignificant. However…
Lizzy bit her lip hard.
To her, it felt as if Ferzen was questioning whether she used perfume to mask the disgusting smell from that day.
The memory of that day, which she desperately wanted to forget, came rushing back, and Lizzy turned her head sharply towards him, her face flushed with anger.
But Ferzen seemed unfazed.
He continued to check the list and greet the students behind her.
“……”
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t even make him bat an eye.
Meanwhile, he could inflict excruciating pain on her with just a few words.
Perhaps this was the difference between how people viewed ants and how ants viewed people.
Vile.
Cruel.
The worst kind of man.
Occasionally, Lizzy would daydream about how much better the world would be if it were a fairy tale.
After all, in every fairy tale, there was always a hero who could strike down the demon lord.
Of course, she knew it was nothing but a meaningless fantasy.
The reality was far too cruel to be compared to a fairy tale.
TL note: I just read through a 1.7 Million word fanfic…..My grip of reality has never been weaker.
Btw WHY PP PUT GAMER SYSTEM BULLSHIT IN EVERY SINGLE THING!!!!
wtf that’s like the lazziest shit you can ever do.
And why it’s ever harem….wtf.
So i shall make it my mission to recommend good fanfics for humanity, for I have torn through the dark and horny abyss that is AO3 and navigated through the cringest shit ever written on Fanficnet.
Now lemme say something before we start: I don’t ‘hate’ harem, it’s just 95% of them suck.
With this in mind here are sum fics i found it gud.
Measure Each Step to Infinity by Paxbana on AO3 – I legit cried reading this one, it’s super good for those who liked Azula’s character in the Avatar series.
Less Than Zero by Kenchi618 on Fanfiction – One of the best if not THE best DC comics fics i have ever read, the characters are well planed and feel real AND IT AINT CRINGE.
A Demon Lord’s Hero by Fahad09 on Fanfiction – This is a crossfic, and i think one of the most popular one, and for a reason….It’s a crossover on Fate/Staynight with DXD, but there’s no harem, no cringe bs, only a good plot.
On DXD fics here’s a dark one, that may not be for everyone’s tastes since it messes a lot with canon – Not My Harem Anime! by The Tempura Wizard on Fanfiction. A solid 7 or maybe even an 8/10 fic.
Now onto the obligatory Naruto fics (Yes there are good ones, Yes i read A LOT, good and bad {Sometimes i just have a lot of free time during work okay? don’t judge me})
Compass of Thy Soul – Umei no Mai on Fanfiction, it’s a more politically focused fic.
Walk on the Moon by Six Perfection on Fanficition, it’s a more dark and more gritty one.
Better Left Unsaid by Kenchi618, is a very famous and good one.
Thats it for today lads! Next chapter we shall delve into Mass Effect and Star Wars.
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