Surviving at the Magic Academy

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“Excuse me….”

I glared at the pile of papers in front of me. They were filled with all sorts of information about the human body, expressed in text and drawings, all spread out chaotically.

“It seems better to angle the wrist a bit inward. The current setup strains the muscles too much.”

Mira shook her head slightly at my words. Then she handed me a sheet of paper. Accepting it, I examined it. It detailed the various changes Kashian had undergone, as confirmed by her.

“I actually think it would be better to go outward. That body has limitless potential beyond what Mr. Ebron thinks. Even points that seem strained can be transformed into new possibilities.”

I nodded slightly. I had been foolish. Until now, I had only considered this structure in comparison to what I was familiar with.

This body was unlike anything I had seen before. If, as she said, more pain could grant more potential, then pursuing that direction didn’t seem bad.

“Hey, mister….”

I looked over my previous papers again. If that was the case, then those were merely references, and I needed to create a new standard moving forward.

I cleared those papers aside and took out a fresh sheet. It suddenly struck me why I had felt something lacking every time I created a doll for Kashian.

It was inevitable; I hadn’t accurately grasped these limitations. If it weren’t for Mira, I wouldn’t have known. A new direction had been established. My hands itched with anticipation.

“Then I think we should experiment once. It seems I haven’t fully understood that body yet.”

“Heh, that’s a great idea.”

I laughed as I faced Mira.

“Ugh.”

With a short scream, a thud echoed from somewhere. Looking that way, I saw Kashian sprawled on the floor, looking utterly defeated.

“Can’t I take a little break….”

She looked at us with her signature dazed expression. Those slightly moist eyes were stirring sympathy. Mira approached her and gently ruffled her hair with a smile.

“Oh my, I didn’t expect you to have such a hard time!”

Mira slowly embraced Kashian. Kashian’s eyes sparkled as she looked at her. Mira began to emit a gentle mist, wrapping it around Kashian’s entire body.

“But there’s no time to rest. This is all for you, Kashian.”

“Eh….”

Kashian shook her head vigorously, clearly distressed. However, the mist naturally led her back to her feet.

Mira began to touch and explore that body with her hands, and under her touch, Kashian’s form began to transform anew.

“Alright, let’s swing the sword again.”

Mira said as she stepped away from Kashian. With a reluctant expression, Kashian swung the sword. I nodded quietly.

Just as Mira said, the trajectory of the sword was forming even more perfectly than I had imagined. That sword dance, accomplished solely by the power of her body, was extraordinarily beautiful.

I documented the entire process on video and continued to jot down my thoughts.

This was the sixth day since we had been trapped in this room. A second duel was scheduled for tomorrow. But I felt confident. She was in a very different state than before.

How much effort it took to create this. It had taken a whole day just for her to awaken at first.

Her wounds were deep and she was extremely exhausted.

During her unconsciousness, I had many discussions with Mira. The first question that popped into my head was why Kashian had gotten hurt.

If she had fought an opponent of the same rank, she wouldn’t have sustained any injuries. That’s how I had seen her for the past five years.

She even easily dealt with the elite of noble families, those who had ascended to the third floor. In twenty tough lectures, she had always been the last one standing, and every time she participated in the tournaments I occasionally held, she had won.

That she would get hurt like this—I couldn’t fathom what had occurred.

“It must be because she couldn’t use magic,” Mira responded.

“She has a natural talent for wielding magic, as much as she has for swords and her body. No, it might even be greater.”

She exhaled mist. The mist split into three layers, each containing different colors. They mingled together and formed a body resembling Kashian’s.

And that figure began to move around. The three mists inside it followed its movements seamlessly.

“This is the totality of her talent. All these abilities come together to form her. But since she is unable to use magic during duels, what happens when you take that away?”

She extracted the mist of the thickest color. Instantly, a large gap began to form. Inside, its movements became awkward, and the mist couldn’t maintain the body properly.

“It would turn out like this. Of course, the absence of magic doesn’t mean all her abilities vanish. But using magic is as easy to her as breathing and it’s being blocked.”

But the opponent wouldn’t feel the same. She smiled while saying that. I nodded in agreement.

It made sense according to her reasoning. If her talent was indeed that considerable, then for Kashian, it would be equivalent to having holes all over her body.

In such a situation, winning would be quite an achievement. The opponent had likely been prepared for the duel.

From that moment, we launched into a multitude of questions and answers. Within that discourse, a thought emerged.

“Mira, does it take a lot of time for you to control Kashian?”

“No. The reason I keep adjusting her is to master that body perfectly while residing within it. It doesn’t take much effort to merely control her.”

Mira shook her head slightly, resting her chin on her finger as she looked at me.

“Did something come to mind?”

“Yes, perhaps.”

I crossed my arms and gazed at Kashian. If her talent was that great, then in future duels, as long as that sense was alive, she would surely continue to feel discomfort. I slowly opened my mouth.

“Then I think we need to remodel Kashian.”

“Remodel? But I can’t make her any more perfect. What I do is just solidify that structure a little more.”

“No.”

I shook my head. What I wanted wasn’t perfection; I wanted to make her imperfect.

“We block her talents. She won’t be able to use magic anymore. Completely cut off from feeling magic. Is that possible?”

Mira’s eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of a smile appearing at her lips.

“It is possible, as long as she agrees. But why go through such a thing?”

“As you mentioned before, she possesses a lot of talents. In your view, how talented do you think Kashian actually is?”

She thought for a moment before answering.

“Among those I’ve seen, aside from Lady Ilian, no one surpasses her talent. When someone has exceptional talent, the aura emanating from their body is bound to change.”

As she said this, she licked her lips slightly. Then she looked at me and gave a gentle smile.

“Of course, Mr. Ebron is average. But his soul has a very sweet scent. It’s usually concealed, but when it occasionally bursts, the aroma is irresistible.”

As she said this, she leaned closer to me. A strand of saliva trickled from her mouth. The doll I had placed next to me delicately wiped it away. I watched the scene with a wry smile.

“…Let’s skip over my remarks. Anyway, Kashian’s excessive talent has ironically become her weak point. That’s the result you see now.”

I looked at Kashian, who was shrouded in the mist like a blanket. Perhaps feeling a little more comfortable now, her face looked relaxed as she slept. The scars on her body slowly melted away in the mist.

“So let’s block that magical talent. During the second duel, and more consequentially, in all future duels, we make sure she can’t feel magic at all.”

I glanced at Mira. I trusted her. No, I trusted her power—the power to determine what she wanted to consume.

She regarded Kashian as the ultimate prey. She paid no mind to other students. Thus, I could trust in Kashian’s talent.

“If we turn her body into a weapon meant solely for duels without magic, I believe she has a fair chance.”

I paused to gather my thoughts. Then I cautiously continued.

“In fact, not using magic in the duel might increase her chances. Those who fight her in the future would likely be at a higher level. There is bound to be a significant gap in the quantity of magic.”

Mira wore a delighted smile. At that moment, the bear doll came charging in. Its round eyes sparkled brightly.

It got tangled up with Kashian and rolled over onto the floor. That was due to its attempt to leap over her with those short legs. The creature glanced at Kashian before waving at me again.

The determination radiating from it came through strongly. Feeling this, I couldn’t help but smile. It seemed we had finally succeeded.

The Mirror Bug, which had been stationed in a corner of the room, suddenly crossed my mind. It was a massive insect with a full-length mirror hanging from its body. Upon entering the discussion board, I noticed a new post that I hadn’t seen before.

– Kashian: Come check out the cute bear doll. Day 761.

[Video]

Below that were numerous posts with the same title. They outlined the journey of trial and error the creature had been through. What had been uploaded now was the end result.

This creature was also now using the discussion board quite skillfully. Of course, there were limitations, such as not being able to change the title due to borrowing Kashian’s name.

But it was fascinating. Excluding the bear doll, no other doll had ever left a post on the board. At best, they managed to communicate their will to me.

It suggested a strong connection with Kashian. But how had that connection been formed? That was something I was curious about.

However, what mattered now wasn’t scrutinizing that bear doll. What was crucial was this video. Inside it was likely the direction I needed to head.

The Mirror Bug started the video. It was very blurry, occasionally cutting out. But key points were all visible.

It showed Kashian and her opponent. Amidst the blur of everything else, the two stood out a bit more clearly as they moved. This was the memory video the bear doll had painstakingly created.

We hadn’t witnessed the duel. Presumably, the same would go for future encounters.

But this creature had been there to watch that duel. Hence, this was the result of its insistence to extract that memory.

In the view captured by the bear doll’s eyes, Kashian moved her sword gracefully. In that flow, the blade glided past her opponent.

Previously, during our week of travel, I had seen that movement often. The monster that got hit would part easily and fell without knowing it was dead.

But within the video, it was different. It left deep wounds on the opponent’s flesh, but he moved just fine. The absence of magic was the cause.

Instead, he dove into her embrace and swiftly pinned her down. It was a powerful strike made solely with strength.

In response, her flow was crushed. He pounced on her, taking every opportunity to press his advantage.

Throughout that, wounds were etched across her entire body. Those were the same wounds Mira had been treating.

The opponent charged in quickly and struck her down with his sword. Faced with the descending blade slicing through the air, she just stood still.

Then the screen went black. I turned to the bear doll. It pretended to cover its eyes. That meant it had indeed closed its eyes at that moment.

It was unavoidable since it couldn’t capture what it didn’t see. I clicked my tongue and stared at the Mirror Bug.

Soon their figures began to reappear. The bear doll opened its eyes. Inside, her sword pierced the opponent’s chest. His sword had stopped at her shoulder.

The opponent collapsed, and she too, unable to withstand the weight of her own sword, fell beside him.

Could this simply be called a duel? It wasn’t just an exchange of swords. It was a life-and-death struggle.

Of course, I would be confident enough to guarantee that life, thus orchestrating this entire process. The Kashian in the video looked much worse than when we first saw her.

It brought to mind the infirmary in the tower. Such occurrences surely existed for them too. The power was likely much weaker, though.

Mira, who was standing beside me, covered her mouth as she expressed her distress. It looked genuinely sincere.

“I absolutely cannot forgive this. That worthless thing left so many scars on that beautiful body.”

“Indeed.”

I nodded. Her body was incredibly important to us. No matter how much of a duel it was, to treat it so recklessly was unforgivable. I needed to ensure that such a thing wouldn’t happen again.

“Mira, do you understand the entire process of this duel?”

“Hmm, mostly. This child did her best. Realizing she was lacking in power, she purposely turned that into her advantage.”

I wondered if she could properly read that process. I smiled wryly. To me, it had just seemed like swords collided and flowed. I half-shut my eyes.

“I don’t know. I couldn’t grasp the method behind this duel and how she managed to win.”

“That’s right. It seems Mr. Ebron is a bit below their level.”

Mira nodded. A mischievous smile crept to her lips. I quietly nodded in agreement. She seemed to find it amusing, slightly pouting her lips.

“But I was able to observe her body. I saw how inefficiently she moved without magic.”

It was the sense I had honed while creating dolls. I had dissected and studied various bodies. Human bodies occupied most of that time.

So I knew quite well how to move efficiently, how to do it beautifully; it’s what I had strived for all along.

In my view, Kashian’s movements in the video appeared rather pathetic. Every action seemed choppy, and the flow created by her sword felt awkward.

As Mira had said, that was the consequence of the absence of magic. In contrast, her opponent’s movements were very smooth. He seemed to be accustomed to moving without magic as he effortlessly parried Kashian’s attacks.

“Seeing this, I feel even more compelled to block her talent. Her movements, and even her thoughts, need to be reconstructed more efficiently.”

Mira nodded slowly. Meanwhile, I felt someone nudging my leg. Looking down, I found Kashian staring intently at me.

Seemingly awoken from being knocked by the bear doll, she held my hand tightly as she gazed into my eyes with determination. I spoke with conviction.

“You need to trust me completely. Kashian, just trust us.”

A bright light began to shine in Kashian’s previously dim eyes. She nodded a little. I nodded back, feeling reassured.

If what Mira said was true—that Kashian was a genius and contained the talent they so desired—then she would surely adapt perfectly to the body we had newly constructed. That was my thought.

And indeed, it was so.

The result was right before my eyes.

I smiled contentedly. Just look at that gesture. Even with just a slight change in the wrist structure, her movements became incredibly graceful.

Now, she could probably defeat her first opponent in just a few exchanges. She had transformed that significantly.

Suddenly, Mira, who had moved closer to me, gazed at Kashian with admiration. Resting her head on my shoulder, she murmured.

“This is the masterpiece we created. I’m so satisfied that she has progressed to this level.”

“Right? At this rate, she should win her next match.”

“Just the next one?”

She gave me a puzzled look, her expression slightly serious. The current Kashian was superior to her previous self. However, she was still not perfect.

This couldn’t go on forever. There would surely be limits. The data was insufficient—data on the human body, data on swordsmen, and data on Kashian herself.

But for now, this was the best we could do.

Kashian subtly halted her movements. It seemed she was trying to rest while we were talking. I stared at her intently. She pouted a bit and then resumed moving.

All the information regarding her opponent was already implanted in her mind. That was what had been written on the paper they provided.

Of course, I couldn’t be sure if that information was correct. But it should at least be a reference. Surely, not everything could be false.

Winning against the next opponent would also bring the chance to gather more data. I cast a sidelong glance at the two swordsmen blocking the door. They couldn’t see us due to the layered barriers.

After the duel, they said they’d grant us one request. I remembered that Kashian had brought us here to ask them. They would comply as long as it wasn’t an unreasonable request.

So, through these requests, we needed to gradually expand our potential to progress. For that, I needed to finish the second duel perfectly.

I watched Kashian’s movements with sharp focus. If even a hint of inefficiency arose, I would need to correct it immediately.

In the one remaining day, I had to refine her even more. Thus, the day of the second duel arrived.

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