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Student cafeteria.
Davian and Luna sat at the same table with Velum, Nubes, and Bonita, who had just finished their personal training.
Before they knew it, Bonita naturally joined Davian and his group's dining table without being asked.
Luna, excited, told her friends, who had finished their personal training, about Davian's performance.
After hearing all of Davian's heroic tales, Velum asked,
"Same class in the afternoon?"
"Yeah. But I heard we're learning spirit magic in the afternoon."
"Spirit magic? Not just anyone can do that. Aren't only people chosen by spirits able to use it?"
"That's right. But there might be students who don't know their talents yet. Sometimes, students are newly chosen by spirits at the beginning of the semester."
"Luna and Davian? Have you ever talked to a spirit?"
"No... I haven't. But it's okay. I just need to hone my healing magic anyway."
"Davian, what about you?"
"Me neither. I've tried many times, but no luck. Like Velum said, it's something only a few chosen ones can do."
"You never know, though. This is Elton Academy. Maybe a spirit will suddenly appear in front of you two out of nowhere?"
That was unlikely.
Davian had tried many times, not in his hometown, but here at Elton Academy.
Elton Academy's west Medio Garden.
"The spirit magic professor is away on a business trip, so I will be teaching the spirit magic class this month."
Professor Sirims looked around at the magic department students gathered in the Medio Garden.
"Now, we will find students who have the aptitude for spirit magic. First, if there are any students who have already contracted with a spirit or communicated with one, please raise your hand."
At Professor Sirims' instruction, only two students raised their hands.
"Still, it's quite a lot this year. There are many years when there are none at all."
"Now, the forest behind this Medio Garden is the closest forest to the spirit realm in the Alkancia Kingdom. The spirit realm and the human realm are not connected by any bridge. The two worlds are perfectly overlapped. However, there is an invisible wall between the two worlds, and this forest is one of the places where that wall is the thinnest. Now, how do you communicate with spirits?"
One of the students who had raised their hand earlier raised their hand again.
"I'm Ellaim Bristin. There's no special method. If a spirit finds a human they like, they will approach and talk first. Of course, in order to understand what the spirit is saying and see the spirit's appearance, you need high mana affinity and magic power."
"That's correct, Ellaim. There is no way to communicate with a spirit other than the spirit speaking first. That's why walking in this forest is a process that every freshman in the Elton Academy's magic department must go through."
Professor Sirims looked around at the students.
"Now, I wonder how many freshmen will be chosen by spirits today. Everyone, go into the forest behind the garden and stroll slowly. You must not move in groups of two or more. Always alone. Otherwise, even the spirit that was going to talk to you will not approach you."
Sirims took out his pocket watch and checked the time.
"The time limit is until sunset. Spirits don't really like humans entering the forest they cherish. Even more so at night. Now, everyone, depart."
Somewhere in the forest behind Medio Garden.
Davian leaned against a tree and pondered yesterday's sparring match.
As Bonita had advised, he took a beating to make his opponent drop their guard and win, but that was only possible because Brenton was foolish.
Once he actually clashed with him, the gap between a 1-star swordsman and Davian was bigger than he thought.
Brenton was not particularly outstanding even among 1-star swordsmen.
Above him, there were many more formidable opponents lying in wait.
And the final wall he had to overcome within the first semester. Bonita Fortis herself.
'At this rate, I won't achieve anything.'
Davian jumped up.
He had spent time in this forest in all three previous timelines, but no spirit had ever spoken to him.
It seemed Davian had no talent for spirit magic.
He had no time to waste.
In order to take the top spot in the first semester, he had to focus solely on swordsmanship training this semester.
To relive the duel with Brenton, he looked for something to hold in his hand.
There was nothing suitable on the ground, and he hesitated to break a branch because it was a forest that spirits liked.
'I have no choice.'
Davian manipulated his mana to create a stream of water from his palm.
He froze the stream of water he had drawn to a suitable size, creating an ice club.
It was shaped like a club, but the length was similar to a bastard sword.
He took out gloves from his pocket, put them on both hands, and properly gripped the ice club.
It was too cold to hold with bare hands anyway.
He lightly swung the ice club, loosened his wrists, and then took a basic swordsmanship stance.
Feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Left foot forward. When swinging the sword, the waist should be flexible, and the shoulders fixed.
Feeling the weight and speed of the tip of the sword, he relaxed his wrist...
"Wow! Crap! You scared me!"
Davian, who was swinging the ice club and staring at its tip, shouted in surprise.
A small bird, which he didn't know when it had appeared, was sitting on the tip of the ice club.
It definitely wasn't there when he started swinging the club.
"Hello?"
On closer inspection, it wasn't a bird.
A small girl wearing a sky-blue dress.
A girl? A maiden?
Anyway, a small female of unknown age.
Behind her back were two pairs of transparent wings.
Flutter.
The small, transparent wings fluttered, and the small female flew up and approached Davian's face.
Every time she moved, something like glass powder scattered from her body.
"A strange human. It's been a long time since I've seen one."
"Who, who are you?"
"Me? Can't you tell by looking? A spirit."
"Why are you showing up now?"
"Now? Were you waiting for me? I'm seeing you for the first time."
That wasn't what he meant.
Clearly, a spirit that had never appeared in the previous timelines...
"It's not that. I'm just surprised because it's my first time seeing a spirit. I'm Davian Naone. An academy freshman."
"You're introducing yourself now? I'm Glacie, the ice spirit. Just call me Glacie."
"Ice spirit? There was such a thing?"
"There is. Undine is famous among humans, but I guess I'm still not famous? Well, it's been a long time since I've shown myself to humans."
"Undine? The water spirit?"
"Yeah. My sister is pretty close to humans. But you!"
Glacie flapped her small wings and circled around Davian's body a couple of times.
"It's been a really long time since I've seen a human training in ice swordsmanship."
Davian thought he knew vaguely why this spirit had appeared now.
This ice club could only be created with mana.
A normal swordsman would never train with something like this.
"Are you only curious about humans who have both magic power and internal energy?"
"Well, it's not exactly like that. I'm not really interested in humans. But... the last human I was friends with had both, too. Ah, all three, including external force."
Glacie swirled rapidly around the ice club Davian was holding, creating a vortex.
Just as the ice club seemed to be surrounded by a pure white silver powder, its shape changed in an instant.
"A friend who roamed the human world with me, wielding such a magnificent sword."
Davian's gaze turned to the ice club, no, the splendid transparent bastard sword.
The ice club Davian was holding had been transformed into a well-forged sword.
A sword made entirely of transparent ice, from the tip of the blade to the end of the handle.
Davian could instinctively feel that this was not just a roughly carved piece of ice in the shape of a sword, but a real sword.
While he was staring at the ice sword with wide eyes, Glacie approached Davian's chest and placed her hand on his heart.
"What, what is it?"
"Hmm, you're not as strong as Eriam, but you can make this sword pretty sturdy. I can feel quite a bit of power from your heart. Inject more magic power into the sword. I want to see. You can inject it strongly."
'She must have shown up in front of me to play nostalgia games.'
Anyway, it was his first communication with a spirit.
Davian injected magic power into the ice sword as Glacie instructed.
At first, he precisely controlled the mana to prevent the sword's shape from being damaged, but it didn't take long for him to realize that even if he recklessly poured mana into it, the sword's shape and size didn't change.
"Wow! Amazing. It's almost the same? Of course, it's a bit lacking."
The guy named Eriam, Glacie's old friend, must have been someone who trained in both magic and swordsmanship at the same time.
Even though he had poured in mana at the level of a 6-star, she said it was lacking?
"That friend must have been a great friend."
"Of course, he was great. Don't you know him? Eriam? Has so much time already passed? Well, humans are creatures of forgetfulness."
The person named Eriam seemed to be a hero or adventurer who made a name for himself in the distant past.
"So? The reason you suddenly appeared in front of me is because that friend and I have something in common?"
"Yeah. I was just passing by when I was surprised to see you wielding a magical ice club. It was like seeing Eriam when he was young."
"If I completely release the mana, will this sword disappear by melting?"
"That's right. It's the same principle as your ice club."
"That's too bad. Such a magnificent sword."
"Too bad?"
"Of course. And with this level of hardness, it seems to be more durable than most treasure swords."
"The more your magic power increases, the more durable this sword will become. How about it? Do you want it?"
"This sword?"
"Yeah. Should I let you use this sword?"
"Thanks, but even if it doesn't take much mana to maintain, I can't keep this maintained for the rest of my life."
"Who said to keep it maintained forever? You can just make a new one every time."
"Are you going to teach me? Would I be able to use such elaborate water elemental magic even if I learned it?"
"Are you stupid, or do you not have any sense?"
Davian vaguely knew what Glacie was trying to say.
But it was such an absurd thing that he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.
"Don't tell me... are you proposing a contract with me right now?"
"Yeah! That's right. Then you can call me, and I can appear at any time and make this sword for you."
"How do I call you?"
"Well, you just say, 'Beautiful and kind Glacie-nim. Please appear before me.'"
"...Let's forget about the contract."
"Kyahaha. I'm just kidding. I'll show up on my own whenever you need me or when I need you."
"How do you know when I'll need you? Are you going to be watching me from the spirit realm beyond the wall?"
"That's a human's way of thinking. I only have one body, but I'm everywhere and nowhere. And if we make a contract, you and I will be bound by a strong bond."
"Then when will you need me?"
"When I'm bored. How about it? Are you going to make a contract or not?"
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