I’ve been on a vacation after the four major festivals, since it’s been a long time since the last time.

I stayed at home to relax and unwind.

In the morning, I lie in bed and watch the scenery outside.

As I did so, I had a lot on my mind and decided to leave the room because I couldn’t sit still.

Because it was just lunch time, I stopped by the commercial area and had a proper meal there.

“What …should I do?”

Honestly, I don’t feel like doing anything.

As a reaction to the hard schedule of the Four Great Festivals, I am surprisingly drained of energy even after resting.

I stopped by a nearby park and sat down on a bench with a big smile on my face.

For a moment, light blue hair caught my eye.

I almost called out “Monet!” but then I realized it was someone else.

Yes……

There is no Monet.

Yesterday, I remembered Thor walking around with empty eyes.

It’s the kind of atmosphere that keeps everyone at bay.

Thor was the one who was hurt the most by that incident.

He was betrayed by the person he trusted the most.

I didn’t know what to say to him.

I sat down deeply, throwing my body sluggishly, and looked at the sky in daze.

Cloudy and dull.

I tried to reach out, but I couldn’t reach the clouds.

“Well, you know.”

If I use flight magic, I might be able to reach the clouds, but I don’t feel like doing that.

“……I’m bored.” I muttered to myself.

When you suddenly have nothing to do, you feel lonely.

And as I was doing that, the gray view of the sky was blocked and a shadow peered at me.

“Owen, congratulations on your win.”

Kaisaf was looking down at me.

“Oh, thank you.”

I’ve got a one-star batch on my chest.

I got into position and looked at Kaisaf.

“And congratulations to you Mr. Kaisaf.”

“Haha, it’s kind of embarrassing that the winner and runner-up were taken by freshmen, but Owen is really awesome.”

“That’s not …true.”

“That’s true, you should be more confident in yourself.”

Then Kaisaf gently removed his gaze.

“I’m sorry Owen, I’m sorry.”

What are you talking about? I’m not going to ask.

It’s probably about Monet.

“Why are you apologizing…?”

“…………”

Kaisaf opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it.

“Did you know about this?

I continued, I asked the question.

Did Kaisaf know that Monet was a member of the regression group?

He once asked me about my relationship with Monet.

By that time, Kaisaf had described Monet as an “adversary”.

I’m not sure what to make of it.

“I knew, …not so much, but I knew this day would come, but I also hoped it wouldn’t, that I would notice but pretend not to, that I was …scared she would disappear somewhere.”

I silently looked at Kaisaf.

How much Kaisaf knew, I can’t read from just what he just said.

I just saw the deep sadness on his face and I couldn’t say anything.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

Kaisaf lowered his eyes as if in penitence.

“No …that’s not …”

“All I can say is, I wish there was no …magic, then—”

“Nothing will change, with or without it…….”

I interjected before Kaisaf could say anything else.

Magic isn’t the problem.

It’s the people who deal with it that are the problem.

Even if it is a wonderful technology, it can become a tool for mass murder depending on how it is used.

In the end, it’s all about people and the problems they cause.

“Yes, you’re right, maybe I’m feeling a bit sentimental today, I’ll have a …rest.”

“Yes, sir, have a good night’s rest.”

I left the park a short time later after Kaisaf left.

Then I headed to the front of the boys’ dormitory.

A single shadow was spotted in front of the dormitory.

A blonde girl was standing there as if waiting for someone.

She …Natalie reacted to the sound of my footsteps and she looked at me.

“Congratulations on your win.”

“Thanks, but what are you doing here?”

“I went to your room and Owen was gone…”

Have they been waiting for us here all along?

“I was just out for a walk.”

“You’ll find yourself going somewhere else.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes, I did, both in the primary …and yesterday, and I can’t tell you how worried I was that you’d disappear the day after you promised to.”

Indeed it is.

Just a few days ago, I promised her I wasn’t going anywhere.

And yet, a man who gets involved in a kidnapping and …immediately breaks his word is an asshole.

“Sorry…”

“No, I don’t want to blame you, I was worried about you but I had faith that you would come back…, but I was still worried …and I just wanted to see you.”

I didn’t tell Natalie about the incident the day before yesterday.

It’s not that we didn’t talk, it’s that we were so busy yesterday and the day before that we didn’t have time to talk.

So she doesn’t know what happened to me.

Well, I’m not even gonna say it out loud.

“I think I finally get it.”

“What?”

“About my goals.”

“Is that to become a great wizard?”

“Yeah, that.”

Great and first-rate are vague terms.

Vague words do not contain intentions.

Because you have a goal, you can take action and get results.

But if the goal can’t be the goal, then the action itself can be meaningless.

At the end of the day, I’m not sure what you’re basing this on, respectability or first class.

So let’s have a clear goal that everyone can understand.

“—I’m going for the three stars.”

I felt that the weight of my words would increase by saying them out loud and telling someone about them.

I’m not going to say that I’m respectable because I have a three-star rating, just as a respectable title doesn’t prove you’re a respectable person.

Rather, there are those who misuse their respectable titles to commit major crimes.

But it’s also true that some things can’t be protected without power.

I am too immature to say that I don’t need authority or power.

Let’s get the power as a three-star and become a person who can use it for others to the maximum.

It’s simple.

Use the power you gain for the people you care about … that’s all.

“I’ll do my best to be next to you when it happens.”

I nodded at Natalie’s determination.

“All right, so we’re training now!”

“What …are you doing it now? You can at least get some rest today…”

“Cause I can’t sit still!”

If you miss one day of training, it will take you two days to get it back.

It is much faster to lose something than to gain something.

“‘Yes …then maybe I’ll come too.”

“Oh, yeah, let’s do that!”

So we decided to head to the school.

At dusk.

Beyond the horizon, a red sky can be seen through the gaps in the cloudy sky.

I don’t know what’s in my path.

We can’t just stop and say we don’t know.

Then let’s do what we can now.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better than today.