I picked up my pen.
“Alright, then. Please tell me. What did you do this morning?”
“Horizontal slash.”
Is this person being serious right now?
Thinking that, I met his eyes.
Clear eyes, brimming with conviction in his training, stared back at me.
Yeah. He’s always been that kind of person.
“Then, what did you do in the afternoon?”
“Thrust.”
I let out a sigh.
“I can’t write just about exercise in the letter.”
“Is that so?”
“The recipient isn’t some mercenary captain, she’s the Duke’s Daughter. Who fills a love letter with nothing but talk about training!”
Even at my impertinent tone, Helpion only nodded, showing no particular reaction.
“You didn’t… by chance, train swordsmanship in the evening too?”
“No.”
Thank goodness!
“Then what did you do in the evening?”
“Cardio.”
What a madman of an employee.
“No, not that. Don’t you have anything a bit more heart-fluttering to say? Like, you couldn’t breathe thinking about her, or something sweet like that.”
“Ah, there was something.”
Oh, as expected. If you’re in love, you should at least have a change like that.
I picked up my pen again.
“This morning, while doing horizontal slashes, I had a small realization. I wondered if it’s really necessary to insist on straight lines just to slash in the shortest time possible. In fact, the concept of a curved horizontal slash that’s faster than a straight line…”
I really can’t do this.
I threw the pen at the Duke right then and there.
Like any school, there are two reasons students use the library.
The first is for studying.
The second is for a good nap.
Such a truth applies even to Delphi Academy, which prides itself on holding all the world’s knowledge.
Even if that place is the legendary hidden spot only accessible to those recognized by the Spirit of Delphi Academy.
The top floor of the Delphi Academy Library.
The essence where all information on history, magic, culture, technology, science, and more gathers—even if it’s the Akashic Record.
A place I thought was just a rumor actually existed, and it became my only sanctuary when I had no place at school.
I still remember that day vividly.
Three students from the Magic Department running at me for a group beating.
Fleeing for my life to the top floor of the library.
And then, a voice whispering in my ear.
‘Come this way.’
Following that voice, I arrived at a place that became the perfect sanctuary just for me.
“Laward!”
Just then, a sharp voice called out to me.
I stepped out from the exit of the Akashic Record.
Though it’s called an exit, there isn’t an actual door—it’s concealed by illusion magic, so to others, it would seem as if I appeared out of nowhere.
“Barbara?”
“I knew you’d be here. The graduation ceremony’s about to start!”
“I told you I wasn’t going.”
“Maybe on any other day, but it’s graduation! …Ugh, just come down for a bit! Are you really not even going to show your face on the last day?”
What a bother.
Reluctantly, I moved my feet and went downstairs.
There, Barbara—about 155cm, petite, with wavy blonde hair under a Scholar’s Cap—was glaring at me with a furious face.
“Oh, a Scholar’s Cap.”
“Here, this is yours too.”
I took the Scholar’s Cap Barbara held out to me.
A Scholar’s Cap…
“It really is graduation.”
To think I went through all that hell for five years for this.
Forgotten memories—no, memories I’d tried to convince myself I’d forgotten—suddenly filled my mind and seeped deep into my heart.
Sensing my mood, Barbara gave a small, wry smile.
“Yeah. Now both you and I are graduates.”
“Thanks. You should go. You’ll be late for the ceremony.”
“Are you really not going to attend?”
“Yeah. You know I won’t have a good time there anyway.”
“No matter how much Deon is the Marquis Heir of the Empire, he can’t just do as he pleases at the Academy’s graduation ceremony.”
I shook my head.
“You know that’s not true. Both you and I do.”
“But…”
“Barbara. I really am fine. Thanks for coming all the way here. Thanks to you, I at least got to wear the Scholar’s Cap. I feel like I’ve experienced graduation now.”
Carefully, I placed the Scholar’s Cap on my head.
The gentle warmth of the cap, as if telling me I’d done well, made my eyes sting with tears.
Five years ago, I’d entered Delphi Academy—renowned for Cultural Arts and Magic Engineering—as the runner-up.
It’s embarrassing to say myself, but I was quite the sensation back then.
Barbara, who was the top student, was the eldest daughter of a famous magic workshop family and had received excellent early education.
But the guy who barely lost to her and came in second was just the eldest son of a small merchant house.
The students found me fascinating and tried to befriend me, and the professors taught me with sincerity.
Amidst all that, I stayed up nights reading novels, and the stories I wrote even won awards at school competitions. I enjoyed a happy Academy life.
I maintained second place for two years after enrolling.
Barbara was such a genius that even being runner-up was plenty satisfying.
I even gained a sponsor.
A Noble who regularly supported students read my writing and covered half my tuition.
Yeah.
For those two years after entering the Academy, I had nothing to envy.
But my life began to unravel when I met Deon Craphy, the eldest son of the Craphy Marquis Family.
‘So it’s you. I heard you’re a commoner who only handles petty cash, but you write pretty well. Rumors about you are everywhere, even outside the Academy.’
He came to find me right after the opening ceremony of third year.
‘My father told me to offer you the position of Secretary for the Craphy Marquis Family. Consider it an honor for three lifetimes.’
He looked at me with a face full of pride, as if he was bestowing a great favor.
I still remember exactly what I said back then.
‘Screw off.’
‘…What?’
‘I know the Marquis Family is impressive, but you’re such a petty, ill-mannered bastard that not even their reputation can cover it. Get lost.’
‘You, you, you…’
Deon Craphy couldn’t contain his rage and lunged at me.
And I knocked him down in one blow.
That’s when it all started. Not just my school life—my entire life went off the rails.
The power of an Imperial Marquis was far greater than what a merchant’s son from some Kingdom could imagine.
More persistent than I expected.
And much, much stronger.
Deon claimed to his father that I had scorned and insulted the Marquis Family.
I don’t know how much the Craphy Marquis trusted his son, but the situation itself gave them all the justification they needed.
The Marquis began to put all-out pressure on my father’s merchant group, under the pretext of demanding an apology for my supposed offense.
Shops that used to trade with us suddenly canceled all deals, and trained Bandits started attacking our goods on the road.
The retainers we trusted stabbed us in the back at the most crucial moments.
The family’s treasures began to disappear, one by one.
In the end, my father collapsed from repeated business failures and didn’t last a year.
My mother, who had always been frail, soon followed, and the merchant group was swiftly shattered.
Now, my younger sibling barely manages to run a tiny business.
On top of that, the Nobles who’d sponsored my scholarship all stopped for unknown reasons, some professors started grading me unfairly for reasons I couldn’t understand, and upper and lower classmen alike began to avoid and ostracize me.
I wish they’d just avoided me.
But some started to bully me directly.
‘Delphi Academy has always been famous as a cradle of Magic Engineering. But is it right for a guy who’s just good at writing and has nice handwriting to get scholarships and attend this school like a playboy?’
Within just one year, Deon had manipulated the Academy and shaped public opinion.
[Students who can’t use magic are living in luxury off the tuition paid by Magic Department students.]
Delphi Academy was supposed to value both Cultural Arts and Magic Engineering equally.
But everyone started to play into Deon Craphy’s crafty politics.
Magic Department students began to treat me like a parasite.
Even the Cultural Arts students started to resent and ostracize me, blaming me for the bad reputation.
I was bullied everywhere, with nowhere to rest, nowhere to turn.
Only Barbara, top of the Magic Department, kept interacting with me, undaunted by the atmosphere.
But even she, with all her talent and family background, couldn’t stop all the harassment.
What saved me was the top floor of the Delphi Academy Library—the Akashic Record.
A legendary place said to be accessible only to those recognized by the Spirit of Delphi Academy.
I still don’t know why a mere student like me was chosen…
But after classes, I had a secret space no one else could enter.
So I hid there whenever I could, reading books, gaining knowledge, and surviving day by day.
Three years passed like that.
The pride I’d felt as an honored student crumbled.
My family fell apart, and I lived in hiding, unable to even contact them.
But even this life comes to an end.
“Laward.”
A warm hand wrapped around mine.
“You really did well.”
Barbara looked at me with warm eyes, as if she understood exactly how I felt.
“Thank you.”
Feeling embarrassed, I gently pulled my hand from Barbara’s and changed the subject.
“Enough about me. Barbara, is it okay for you to skip graduation?”
“Hmm…
It’s fine. I’m skipping the ceremony too.”
“Is there really a graduation without the top graduate?”
“So what. Let it be. Ever since Deon took over the Academy, the teachers and students have all been strange anyway.”
“Still…”
“More importantly, Laward. What will you do after graduation?”
Barbara cut off my worries and asked.
After graduation…
“I used to have no idea.”
“Why?”
“I was too busy to think about the future.”
I was too ashamed to go home, and to be honest, I was afraid of Deon Craphy’s power.
The Craphy Marquis Family would be waiting for me to step outside the Academy’s protection.
But starting about a year ago…
“My thoughts have changed.”
“How so?”
“I think I’ll stay at the Academy, even after graduation.”
I glanced toward the door leading to the archive.
A mysterious space whose entrance can’t even be seen by anyone but the chosen.
“There are still books I want to read.”
“You’re going to hide out in the library? Are you serious? Even if you know this place inside out, you’ll get caught eventually.”
She doesn’t know about the Akashic Record, so I guess she’d say that.
But I’m serious.
At first, I came here to escape people…
But now, I genuinely love the books and knowledge in this place.
A collection of information I’d never seen or heard before.
Dragon Magic that vanished over a thousand years ago.
Customs of the Fairy Kingdom, which last appeared in year 520.
Even the Record of the Founding of the Empire, which can’t be found anywhere else.
And…
If the Akashic Record really does hold all the world’s knowledge…
Maybe there’s something in there that would let someone like me, who can’t sense mana, use magic.
If so, maybe I could gain the power to take revenge on Deon Craphy.
That’s why I cling to the Akashic Record.
Inside, you can find everything from spirit arts to swordsmanship, martial arts to various tactics and secret techniques from East and West.
If I just keep learning everything I can, maybe even someone like me, who can’t sense mana, will find something useful.
“Do you have food and drink?”
“I’ve stashed some here and there.”
That’s actually a lie.
Inside the Akashic Record, there are things I don’t understand—like a plate that endlessly produces bread and a fountain that never runs dry.
As if someone knew I’d end up in this situation.
“Are you ready for everything else?”
“Pretty much. I’ve said my goodbyes to those who matter.”
You. My sibling.
A handful of friends who believed in me to the very end.
“How long do you think you’ll stay?”
I counted the remaining books on my fingers.
“About five years, I guess?”
“Five years.”
Barbara looked at me with an unreadable expression.
“Five years, huh. Alright.”
“Alright what?”
“By the time you come out, I’ll change the world so Deon can’t mess with you or get in your way.”
Hahaha, so that’s what you were worried about?
“Sure, I’ll look forward to it.”
“What? You don’t sound like you’re looking forward to it at all.”
“No, really, I will. By then, I’ll be able to stand on my own too. Maybe I’ll be stronger.”
Just then, I heard a commotion from the lower floor of the library.
It sounded like people were gathering.
“I should go. No one can know I’m hiding in here.”
“…Ah.”
Barbara reached out to me again, as if reluctant to leave.
After a quick high-five, she headed out of the library.
Watching her go, I turned back into the Akashic Record.
Imperial Year 127, the 97th Delphi Academy Graduation Ceremony.
128 attendees, 127 graduates, 1 missing.
Missing person: Laward Gordem.
Two archmages and Academy faculty were mobilized for three days to search for the missing person, but he was not found.
According to witnesses, he had been wandering the campus with a gloomy expression, unable to adapt since his third year.
Search ended with final status: missing.
Five years later, on a certain day.
Around 2 a.m., when everyone was asleep.
I finished reading all the knowledge allowed to me in the Akashic Record and finally emerged into the world.
A year has passed since then
And I have become an excellent unemployed man.
Damn it.
A dropout from the Academy, a graduate of higher education…
That’s right.
With credentials like these, I couldn’t find a single territory to go to, even if Deon’s sabotage didn’t exist.