Chapter 77
After spending a comfortable stretch of time at the guild, summer vacation came to an end, and Hanna Marshall returned to his ever-faithful Magic Council Academy.
Now a second-year student, Hanna had become something of a legend thanks to his extraordinary looks, unmatched grades, and proudly unconventional personality.
Many newly enrolled girls were drawn into the unofficial Hanna Support Club.
An emerging organization that might one day exert a profound influence over the Magic Council was quietly taking shape.
Marshall knew absolutely nothing about it.
"Ultear, I have a question."
Ultear was cleaning their apartment while trying to think of new ways to improve her relationship with her roommate.
Her eyes immediately lit up.
Hanna had finally started a conversation with her!
She even felt strangely honored by the attention.
Somehow, Marshall had successfully conditioned her into appreciating the smallest scrap of friendliness.
"What is it? Go ahead!"
"You already know that I’m extremely popular with girls."
Marshall spoke with complete seriousness.
"Far too many girls like me, and lately it’s been causing me some trouble."
"..."
Ultear’s expression nearly collapsed the moment he opened his mouth.
What an enviable problem to have!
She had witnessed the madness of the academy’s younger girls herself.
Marshall was practically a celebrity here.
Ultear, on the other hand, had sharp, intimidating eyes and lacked any unusual gimmick that attracted attention. She received none of that treatment.
She was less popular than even Siegrain.
Public support from the students might actually have made becoming a Councilor easier in the future.
"Ahaha... That certainly sounds like a problem most people would envy."
Ultear forced a smile.
"You are incredibly popular, Hanna. But why would being liked trouble you?"
"I’m not talking about those girls!"
Marshall showed a rare flicker of irritation.
He couldn’t have cared less about the admiration of some random academy students.
What bothered him was what Cana had accidentally said while drunk.
Especially the moment she claimed that one day, she would leave him.
Marshall’s heart had tightened painfully when he heard those words.
He knew he wasn’t exactly a saint.
He spent nearly every day surrounded by girls and happily collected their affection.
He hadn’t fallen far enough to become a complete scumbag, but his desire to build relationships from childhood and watch them grow had never been particularly subtle.
Marshall had always considered himself reasonable and respectable.
He had never forced anyone to like him.
Only now had he begun to realize that he was selfish too.
He couldn’t accept the possibility that someone he loved might one day leave him.
He always claimed that he wouldn’t pursue anyone or reject anyone, but perhaps that passivity was simply another expression of his fear of loss.
People often chased hardest after whatever they lacked most.
Perhaps greed was only another form of being starved for affection.
Marshall could hear everyone else’s heart, yet his own remained the one voice beyond his reach.
For the first time, he felt genuinely uncertain.
"Ultear, what would you do if someone you loved decided to leave you one day?"
’Gossip!’
Ultear’s eyes shone.
"My, my. Does Hanna have someone she likes?"
She leaned closer.
"A boy or a girl?"
"What kind of question is that? I’m a boy, so naturally I like girls."
Marshall hesitated.
"The problem is... I like slightly too many of them."
"I’m worried that some might leave because I can’t devote myself to only one person. What am I supposed to do?"
"?"
Ultear’s smile froze.
None of that had sounded remotely reasonable.
Was her roommate actually human?
She drew a deep breath, struggled to follow his train of thought, and offered what she considered practical advice.
"Ahaha... I understand completely."
"It seems very easy to solve."
She smiled brightly.
"Simply catch whoever tries to leave and lock her up."
"After enough strict retraining, she won’t dare run away again. With your strength, surely that wouldn’t be difficult?"
"...I must have lost my mind to ask you for relationship advice."
Marshall stared at her.
"Ultear, I have the distinct feeling the Magic Council will arrest you for a serious crime someday."
"Hehe. Who knows what the future holds~?"
Marshall sighed.
"Still, perhaps you aren’t entirely wrong."
"I can’t remain passive forever. Some things are important enough that I should hold on to them properly."
He slowly exhaled.
Marshall had acknowledged his own greed.
Now he would face every difficulty that came with it.
He didn’t know what the future would look like, but he had never been the type to sit helplessly and wait for disaster.
Every human predicament ultimately came from insufficient ability.
As long as he became powerful enough, he would eventually find a solution!
"It looks like you’ve found your answer."
Ultear smiled.
"I wonder whether I helped at all~"
"Remembering that someone as utterly devoid of moral boundaries as you exists has filled me with confidence in myself."
Marshall nodded solemnly.
"You helped enormously."
"My, that didn’t sound like a compliment~"
Ultear didn’t care.
She had long since stopped pretending to be a decent person in front of Marshall.
Maintaining the act was too difficult.
His attitude toward her was consistently rude and unfriendly.
He always saw through her true intentions and stated them openly without the slightest concern for her dignity.
Eventually, Ultear had simply given up trying to hide herself.
That was precisely why she had been so delighted when Marshall willingly spoke to her today.
"By the way, my dear Hanna, there’s something about magic I’d like to ask you."
"Would that be all right?"
"Go ahead."
"You specialize in Ice-Make Magic, don’t you?"
Ultear’s expression became more serious.
"Have you ever studied Iced Shell?"
"I’ve read about it."
Marshall nodded.
"The caster sacrifices their physical body, transforms into ice, and seals the enemy forever."
"It’s an interesting spell. Why?"
Ultear’s face darkened.
"Interesting...?"
She stared down at her hands.
"Hanna, do you believe a Mage who casts Iced Shell is truly dead?"
"Could they ever be restored?"
Marshall raised an eyebrow.
"You happened to ask exactly the right person."
"Before this summer, I probably would have said no. That’s what every book claims."
"But I’ve developed a different understanding of the spell recently."
Ultear abruptly leaned forward, unable to hide her excitement.
"Really? Please, tell me!"
"I believe Iced Shell works by forcibly pushing Ice Magic into a realm the caster cannot properly control."
Marshall explained carefully.
"Their entire body undergoes elemental transformation. The magic then runs out of control, leaving them unable to return to human form."
"So, theoretically, the caster hasn’t died."
"They’ve simply transformed themselves into ice."
"For a certain period after the spell is cast, it may still be possible to turn them back into a human."
Ultear’s emotions rose and fell with every word.
She asked nervously, "How could someone sealed in ice be restored?"
"Would Time Magic be involved?"
"I’ve met someone capable of deliberately transforming her entire body into water."
Marshall folded his arms.
"I believe complete elemental transformation is the highest rank of elemental magic."
"In theory, if a Mage capable of turning their body fully into ice assisted with the process, they might be able to restore someone who used Iced Shell."
"Of course, that’s only theoretical."
"No successful case has ever been recorded."
His expression grew more solemn.
"And if too much time passed, the caster’s energy would eventually be exhausted."
"Even if you managed to return them to human form after that, all you would recover would probably be a corpse."
"..."
[Time. It always comes back to time.]
[In the end, I still can’t escape this curse.]
[Is there even any reason to continue with the Moon Drip plan...?]
Ultear shook her head and gave a bitter smile.
"Thank you, Hanna."
"I’m certain you’ll become an extraordinary Mage someday."
"Naturally."
Marshall smiled with complete confidence.
"That has never been in doubt."
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