Chapter 197: Ordinary Days [1]

Ilya had been attending Holy Trinity Academy long enough to realize that having more freedom over his studies came with an unfortunate consequence.

He was running out of free time.

Between ordinary lectures, Hakon’s combat training, Vera’s lessons, and the additional research he had taken on at SkyRune Lab, his schedule had become increasingly crowded. Even the occasional afternoon he managed to reserve for himself rarely remained unoccupied for long.

Fortunately, he was enjoying most of it.

His progress in magic had been steady, and although the Second Circle remained some distance away, he had become considerably more comfortable manipulating the mana circulating through his body. The Ring of Fire continued operating almost instinctively, allowing him to endure Niflheim’s cold without constantly concentrating on maintaining his temperature.

Whether that meant his condition was genuinely improving remained uncertain.

Vera had yet to provide a satisfactory answer.

Nevertheless, Ilya had no intention of spending every waking moment worrying about something he couldn’t presently change.

There were more immediate matters demanding his attention.

Like surviving Professor Hakon Vinter’s training.

"Again."

Ilya adjusted his position as another compressed burst of wind struck the ground beside him.

He had already spent the better part of an hour attempting to reproduce a movement technique that sounded deceptively simple when Hakon first explained it.

The objective was to redirect the force acting upon his body during rapid changes in direction.

Normally, Ilya relied on Niflheim’s Blizzard to propel himself through the air, using powerful wind currents to accelerate and alter his momentum. The method worked remarkably well, but the resulting strain could become dangerous whenever he changed directions too abruptly.

During his confrontation with Aleksei, he had pushed that technique far beyond what his body could comfortably withstand.

Hakon wanted him to develop a safer alternative.

Rather than relying entirely on Niflheim’s extraordinary winds, Ilya was attempting to reproduce the necessary acceleration through ordinary magic.

His first few attempts had been disappointing.

The spell could generate enough force to move him, but controlling the direction and duration proved far more difficult than expected. Applying too much power sent him farther than intended, while reducing the output made the movement sluggish.

The difficulty increased whenever he tried to combine the technique with his swordsmanship.

A swordsman relied on stable footing, precise balance, and the ability to shift his weight during an attack. Introducing an external force at the wrong moment could interfere with those movements.

Fortunately, Hakon understood the problem.

"You’re trying to control the entire movement at once," the professor explained. "Break it into smaller parts. Determine when you need acceleration, when you need to change direction, and when you need to stop."

Ilya considered the advice before attempting the exercise again.

This time, he reduced the initial force and concentrated on controlling the moment it was applied.

His body moved forward.

A second burst redirected his momentum toward the left, allowing him to avoid the wooden obstacle positioned along the training course.

The movement was still awkward.

However, he managed to complete the turn without losing his balance.

More importantly, the technique consumed only a fraction of the mana he would normally expend when using Niflheim.

Hakon appeared satisfied.

"Better. Now try it while attacking."

For the next several minutes, Ilya repeated the exercise with his practice sword, gradually learning to coordinate the external force with his ordinary footwork.

The results remained inconsistent, but the principle was beginning to make sense.

He didn’t need enough magical power to replace every movement of his body.

He only needed to apply force at the appropriate moment.

By the end of the session, he could perform a short lateral acceleration while maintaining sufficient balance to deliver a controlled strike.

It was hardly impressive compared to the movements he could achieve through Niflheim, but it offered something his Domain couldn’t.

A technique he could practice without placing his survival at risk.

And for someone whose strongest ability was gradually killing him, that was a rather valuable advantage.

After training, Ilya returned to the Magic Department to attend his remaining lectures.

The afternoon passed without anything particularly remarkable occurring, although he did encounter an unexpected complication during lunch.

Elise.

More specifically, Elise appeared to have developed the unfortunate habit of becoming visibly uncomfortable whenever Liselotte’s name entered a conversation.

Ilya had noticed it several times since the engagement announcement, although he had yet to determine whether the problem concerned the Princess herself or the circumstances surrounding their relationship.

Fortunately, Solenne seemed perfectly willing to investigate on his behalf.

Unfortunately, she had chosen to do so while sitting directly beside Elise.

"So, Elise, what do you think about Ilya getting married?"

The question was delivered with such innocent curiosity that Ilya immediately recognized it as deliberate.

Elise nearly dropped her fork.

"M-Married?! He’s not getting married yet!"

"Well, they’re engaged. Isn’t that usually what happens afterward?"

"That’s different!"

Ilya continued eating.

Whatever Solenne intended to accomplish, he suspected his participation would only make matters worse.

Elise eventually managed to explain that she was surprised by how suddenly the engagement had become public. She had known Ilya for years, yet he had apparently neglected to mention that he was going to marry an Imperial Princess.

That was a reasonable complaint.

Although technically, Ilya hadn’t known when Liselotte intended to announce the arrangement either.

He explained as much.

Elise accepted the explanation, but her mood remained somewhat subdued for the remainder of lunch.

Solenne, meanwhile, looked far too entertained.

Ilya made a mental note to avoid allowing those two to interrogate him together in the future.

He had enough problems without voluntarily submitting himself to whatever amusement Solenne had planned.

Fortunately, the conversation eventually shifted toward their upcoming assignments, and the rest of lunch passed normally.

By the afternoon, Ilya had returned to SkyRune Lab.

Professor Antoine was supervising several students working on the ancient mana distribution component, although most of the experimental work had been assigned to the older members of the workshop.

Ilya continued examining the surviving inscriptions while occasionally contributing to discussions concerning their possible functions.

Their progress was steady.

More importantly, the professor appeared satisfied enough with the research to begin considering a more substantial reconstruction of the artifact.

That would require additional materials and several specialized components, so the project would probably continue for some time.

Ilya had no objection.

For once, he was enjoying the opportunity to work on something that didn’t involve immediate danger to his life.

During a brief break, Antoine received a message through one of the laboratory’s communication devices.

He examined it before checking the time.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Something good, Professor?" one of the students asked.

"My daughter."

Antoine explained that Lucile had been selected to participate in an upcoming academic presentation at her preparatory school.

Apparently, she had been preparing for the event for several weeks and had already informed him that he was absolutely forbidden from missing it.

The professor sounded amused.

"She even sent me a written reminder this morning. As though I’d somehow forget after hearing about it every day."

Ilya smiled.

He had met Lucile before, and the girl had struck him as remarkably confident for someone her age.

From what he remembered, she also had little difficulty expressing her opinions to her father.

"Then I suppose you’ll be attending, Professor."

"Naturally. She’s been working rather hard on it."

Antoine glanced toward the unfinished diagrams before instructing the students to continue their work without him for the remainder of the afternoon.

He would review their results during the next workshop session.

No one objected.

The professor rarely left before his scheduled hours, and the prospect of finishing their experiments without his constant supervision appeared to please several students.

Ilya simply returned to his notes.

There was something reassuring about seeing Antoine behave like an ordinary father rather than the head of a research institute.

The professor was clearly devoted to his work, yet he seemed perfectly willing to abandon an afternoon of experiments when his daughter needed him.

Ilya found that rather admirable.

His own father had rarely possessed that kind of freedom.

As Grand Duke of the North, Valentin’s responsibilities had often demanded his attention regardless of what his children wanted.

Perhaps that was simply the difference between a scholar and a ruler.

Or perhaps Antoine had simply learned to organize his priorities more effectively.

Either way, Ilya doubted Lucile would appreciate her father missing an important school event merely because a group of researchers had discovered another interesting problem.

By the time the workshop concluded, the laboratory had returned to its usual routine.

Ilya gathered his notes and prepared to leave, intending to spend the evening reviewing the movement technique Hakon had taught him.

However, just as he reached the entrance, one of the older students called his attention toward a notice posted on the workshop’s board.

It concerned a temporary restriction on the transport of certain Rune Tech components through the capital.

According to the notice, several shipments had been delayed while Imperial authorities conducted additional inspections.

The restrictions were apparently related to recent security concerns, although the document provided little explanation.

Ilya read through the notice before returning it to the board.

It wasn’t particularly unusual for the Empire to increase inspections when sensitive magical equipment was involved.

Nevertheless, the restrictions would probably delay some of SkyRune’s scheduled experiments.

That was unfortunate.

He had finally begun making progress on the ancient component, and now the materials required for its reconstruction might arrive later than expected.

Still, there was little he could do about it.

Ilya left the workshop and continued toward the academy grounds, already considering how he might use the extra time.

There were several spell constructions he wanted to examine, and Hakon’s latest training had given him a few ideas concerning magical propulsion.

His schedule was crowded enough without adding another problem.

For the moment, at least, ordinary academy life continued.