SRS 64

“Let’s clean up the area first.”

When Mikael snapped his fingers, the black masses that had been attacking Yohan flattened instantly into one compressed heap. His silent spellcasting was as impressive as always, but Yohan still couldn’t believe the headmaster had sent a student in his place.

“Looks like the urgent part’s settled. Now, should I ask why you’re here?”

“Ah.”

Mikael’s question pulled Yohan out of his thoughts about the headmaster’s negligence. Caught by his probing gaze, Yohan awkwardly looked away.

“…Hmm.”

When Yohan hesitated, staring at the floor instead of answering, the white-haired student sighed softly, as if he had expected this.

“Forget it. I know how you are, so I don’t need to ask. However, Yohan, don’t be so reckless. You could’ve gotten hurt again.”

“Yes.”

As Yohan nodded, Mikael gave him a look that said, “You’re good at answering, not at listening,” then turned to assess the situation.

“So, what’s it like right now?”

“As you can see. I can’t get in, the exit’s blocked, and Melek’s inside.”

“Melek again?… Alright, I see.”

Mikael clicked his tongue as he rolled up his sleeves.

“Let’s give it a try. If the headmaster sent me, it means he believes we can handle it.”

Could that really be true?

Yohan almost voiced his doubt but held back, feeling cold sweat on his back. He had never experienced this level of disbelief before.

Mikael quickly laid out a plan.

“As you know, I can only use magic. Saving Melek is the priority, so I’ll cast a severing spell around where he’s trapped. Yohan, you use divine power to melt the area near the cut.”

“Melt it with divine power?”

“Yes. It looks like a dark-element type, so light-based divine power should work. The sticky structure makes it hard to cut, and even if you do, it’ll heal very quickly. If we want to get Melek out safely, this is probably the best way.”

“I’ll try.”

Experience really did matter. Having survived three more years at Fantasiademia, Mikael’s assessment was quick and logical.

Melt it with divine power…?

Yohan took a deep breath, regaining his calm, and drew out his divine power.

“I’m ready.”

“Alright, starting.”

At Mikael’s gesture, a cutting spell formed around the spot where Melek was trapped.

Slash.

The black slime split open with a sticky sound, and Yohan immediately used his divine power.

The concept of melting something with divine power was still new to him, but there was a similar method he knew.

Curses Purification.

He imagined purifying water tainted by a curse, spreading divine light the same way. As the light touched the slime, it bubbled and shrank. Thanks to that, the mass couldn’t fuse back together and remained scattered.

“Melek, get out now!”

Yohan seized the opportunity and shouted.

He couldn’t approach yet, so he yelled that he’d made a way out and that Melek had to move himself. The student inside, realizing what was happening, fought to lift his eyelids and began to struggle desperately.

Rip.

Unable to reconnect because of the divine power, the main body tried to move on its own to reclaim Melek.

“Mikael!”

“Already on it.”

Mikael immediately restrained the creature. He used magic to pin it down, halting its motion for a moment, but it wouldn’t hold for long.

“Melek, hurry!”

At Yohan’s shout, Melek finally broke free and rolled to the ground.

Thud, thud, thud.

As Yohan reached out to grab him…

Snap!

Mikael snapped his fingers.

“Whoa!”

Melek’s body floated through the air toward them. He landed flat at their feet with a thump. Mikael looked at him as he stepped forward.

“It took too long because I couldn’t cast while he was still restrained. Yohan, heal him. I’ll cover you.”

“Ah… alright.”

Yohan had been wondering about the timing of the flight spell, but Mikael’s explanation made sense. He turned to check Melek’s condition.

“Melek, are you alright?”

It was more a formality than a real question. Melek looked terrible. Whatever was inside that slime, it had melted parts of his skin, and his entire body was still coated in some sticky mucus. From the look of it, the creature had been digesting him.

“You really shouldn’t have done something that reckless.”

Yohan gently scolded him and used divine power. As light spread, Melek’s melted skin regenerated, and the burn-like marks faded away.

“What about this…”

Yohan looked closely at the sticky residue. If purification couldn’t remove it, there wasn’t much he could do.

“Mikael, let’s switch. Melek’s covered in some strange slime. It looks like it needs to be removed.”

He traded roles with Mikael. While Mikael defended them with magic against any remaining threat, Yohan stepped forward to take over.

He spread his divine power wide, forming a protective barrier to shield everyone, and took a slow breath.

Separation of divine power… formation, expansion…

Recalling what he’d learned that morning, Yohan sent his divine power far from his body. In that moment, he unconsciously remembered the ring he’d held during the angel professor’s lesson.

Flash!

The radiant light gathered into the shape of a ring, trapping the slime inside it.

“Ah…!”

Yohan suddenly realized something. This might actually work.

He focused, imagining the ring linked to his own will, and clenched his fist.

The ring tightened, compressing the slime. Yohan took a deep breath and concentrated.

“Focus. Focus… first, contain it. Then compress… and finally, explode.”

He muttered under his breath, clenching harder and shrinking the ring further before closing his eyes.

That power the angel professor had shown on the first day, the one that shattered the glass. If he could form that same energy into an explosion and release it here…

His mind turned rapidly, concentration heightening to its limit. Sweat rolled down his temples, tracing the curve of his jaw just as…

Boom!

The divine ring holding the slime erupted in a small but fierce explosion.

“Ugh!”

Yohan instinctively strengthened his barrier, raising both arms to shield himself from the burst of light.

When the glare finally faded, he lowered his arms and looked up. All around him, the black slime had lost its form and was twitching in scattered pieces. The fragments barely moved, powerless.

“……”

Yohan’s lips parted slightly. He couldn’t believe what he’d just done. While he stood there in disbelief, Mikael moved in to finish the cleanup.

He gathered the scattered remains of the creature together, flattened them, snapped his fingers, and produced an empty glass jar. He sealed the monster inside, closed the lid, and locked it with a spell.

Turning back to the dazed Yohan, Mikael smiled.

“Congratulations, Yohan. You did it.”

The praise, delivered with a smile, amplified the sense of reality. Yohan, clenching his fist as he recalled the previous memory and smiled. He felt surge of elation rippling through his veins.

It’s my power.

Not something borrowed from a god or paid for through sacrifice, but something he had shaped and controlled by his own will.

“You did really well. Even beyond what we covered this morning. Now I understand why the angel professor’s so interested in you.”

“……”

Yohan’s pride vanished, his expression flattening as he glared at Mikael. The student, realizing something, gave an awkward little apology.

“Sorry?”

“…Don’t say things like that. The professor keeps talking about my ‘potential’ already, and it’s giving me a headache.”

“Ah.”

Mikael chuckled softly, understanding now. Yohan shook his head, annoyed, then looked at the corridor, which was now perfectly clean, as if nothing had happened just minutes ago.

That was when a rectangular crack appeared on the inner wall of the building.

“……!”

The wall slid open along the crack, and from the gap stepped a stranger wearing a beret.

“Headmaster! I’m here!”

“……”

“…Huh? The headmaster is not here?”

The unexpected newcomer tilted her head in confusion. Yohan, Mikael, and even Melek—now recovered and standing on his own—tilted their heads as well.

“Um…”

After a moment’s hesitation, Yohan addressed her.

“Excuse me, who are you?”

She’d called for the headmaster, so she probably wasn’t an enemy. But in Fantasiademia, even allies could be dangerous, so Yohan was cautious as he asked. The little girl in the beret placed her hands on her hips and grinned.

“Me? I’m the Witch of Space!”

“A witch…?”

“Yes! I’m contracted with the headmaster of Fantasiademia to handle building repairs! But… he called me, and he’s not even here?”

“Ah…”

So she was the one in charge of building maintenance.

Yohan relaxed a little, but then a thought occurred to him, and one eyebrow twitched.

Wait a second. That means…

“The headmaster didn’t call someone to help us, he called someone to fix the building after the fight?”

Muttering in disbelief, Yohan stared at empty air. Mikael patted his shoulder in sympathy.