Mightiest Melee Magician

Wooooosh.

The snow that had started to slowly settle had fiercened overnight.

“There’s a ton of snow. This is probably the last snowfall of the year.”

“Yeah.”

Maybe it fell to congratulate our graduation, or maybe Winter was grumbling because it didn’t want to end.

The fierce snowstorm that signaled the end of winter raged on through the night and packed the ground with snow.

Thanks to this, the Graduation Ceremony, which was going to be held in the Spring Garden, was moved indoors.

“Oooh, it’s cold.”

“......”

After thinking for a while, I came to the conclusion that the Academy wasn’t something to mourn leaving.

Although, on the final day, it felt pretty sad to go, I knew I couldn’t just stay here forever.

“Dear graduating students, the pride of our academy. For you, who have completed the combined magical studies here taught for the last six years and who are now going forth to become the protectors of this land......”

As I sat here, listening to the Director’s farewell speech, my heart that was restless until yesterday started to find peace.

Yeah.

Graduation might seem like the end, but in reality, it was only the beginning.

I very slowly looked around at my surroundings.

“Ruin!”

Ruina and Father were waving at me from the very back of the auditorium.

To the right were the 5th-year juniors, who would become the graduating class next year.

To the left were the professors, standing in a perfect line.

Then finally, in the middle were the graduating students, my peers, all dressed in neat uniforms.

And I…

“Next up, the student representative and the valedictorian. Ruin Ardell will give a graduation speech.”

“Ah, yes.”

I hurriedly walked up onto the stage.

Even as I stood on this short platform, the many things I had experienced at the Academy flashed before my eyes.

“Ruin. It’s your turn.”

“…Ah, yes.”

Where do I begin?

One year ago.

When I was in 5th grade, listening to the flowery words of the student representative back then who had become a court magician, I had also thought that I wanted to one day say these cool things to my juniors…

But damn it.

I had forgotten it all.

So I just opened my mouth and said what came to mind.

“As everyone knows, I was victorious in the Grand Festival. It was a result I had obtained in just a single year.”

“......”

My voice projected throughout the hall, and everyone fell silent.

“As everyone also knows, I had the ‘Evocation Inability Disorder’. For over 5 years at that.”

My eyes locked onto a 5th-grade junior that I still didn’t know the name of.

“What’s your name?”

“Ah, yes? Me?”

“Yeah.”

“I-I’m Namon! Namon Flaador…”

“Yeah, Namon. You asked me before if I really enrolled into the school with the highest grade.”

“…”

The junior panicked, never having expected this question would return to him.

I jokingly smiled.

“You also asked me why I was still attending the Academy. I wouldn’t be able to become a magician anyway, and it would’ve been fine for me to give up, so why did I continue to attend the Academy while paying the school fees?”

“Did you really do that? To senior Ruin?”

“......I-I’m sorry. I really didn’t know back then and—”

“No. I didn’t say this to scold you.”

I gave a comforting smile.

“Rather, I was thankful that someone still had an interest in me. Back then, my thoughts were saying stuff like, ‘Ah, yeah. I was also at the top of my class before. I once shined bright like those guys… So why am I like this right now? But still, someone remembers the old me. Thanks.’ Well, something like that. Even if the reality was that I was made fun of by my juniors.”

My eyes turned towards the Director.

The Director gave me a small thumbs up, and I was able to continue on with peace of mind.

“But I didn’t want to give up. No, I couldn’t give up. Because magic was my everything. It was a way to protect myself, a way to protect my territory, and a way to protect my friends and family. To protect the people close to me. So I refused to yield till the end, facing my problem head-on like, ‘Oh, really? Then let’s see if you’ll break first or I’ll break first.’”

Small laughs were heard from the students.

And I asked the junior who I questioned before,

“Do you perhaps remember what I told you back on that day?”

“Pardon? Uh, yes!”

“Then, could you say it for me?”

“You said that if you don’t give up, miracles will come to you.”

“That’s right. Thanks.”

“It’s all thanks to you that I’m the student representative of grade 5! It’s an incredible miracle for me, who always placed third!”

“......See what I mean?”

As I spoke to the audience, another round of laughs came from the students.

Sheesh. So he was the student representative.

It was the same for me.

I smiled brighter than ever before, and my eyes landed on Straang, who was sitting amongst the graduating students.

“Just as a miracle found our junior here, one also found me. Fortunately, it was an incredibly big miracle. But miracles like this come to anyone. Even if you may be smaller than others, weaker than others, it will definitely come to you. The thing that’s important here…”

“......”

“…is that the moment you give up, the miracle that was coming to you will be lost forever.”

I looked outside the window.

The fierce snow storm had already stopped some time ago, and bright rays of sunlight were now shining into the auditorium.

“So, continue forth. When you fall down, get up. No one is giving you recognition? No. There will definitely be someone who does. Even if that’s the you ten years down the line loving the effort you put in now. Thank you.”

“Wooooooo!”

As I finished speaking, a rain of applause poured over me.

I wanted to finish my academy life by saying something cool, but I ended up just rambling on.

They wouldn’t talk bad about me behind my back, right?

But it was a relief.

I felt that more people liked it than I expected.

“It was the greatest graduation speech I had heard in a while.”

The Director lightly tapped my shoulder, and I felt sentimental about the graduation for the final time.

“Thank you for the last 6 years.”

And like that, my graduation ceremony was over.

* * *

* * *

After passing the Training Center’s tests and taking the knightly vow, the Knights Proper would receive a seal on their sword.

The version of this for the magicians that had managed to graduate from the Academy was a ‘card’ that would act as their identification as a proper magician.

Ruina looked at and waved around the card with wonder.

“Ma-gi-cian. Ruin Ardell. Wow. My older brother’s a magician.”

“......What did you think I was all this time?”

“From what I heard from your friend, you’re not a magician, but an ogre.”

“My friend? Which one?”

“Who do you think? That stupid guy over there who I don’t even know the name of said it.”

“......”

Ruina pointed at the carriage following closely behind us.

Looking at it, the ‘stupid guy’ Jason…

“Uwaaaah… My stomach is acting up.”

Clack clack—

…was suffering from still-digesting alcohol, having to sit next to the horseman in the fetal position.

In that carriage wasn’t just Jason, but also Hansen, Irene, and even Seta Malkiri.

But why was Seta here anyway?

Wasn’t he just here to sightsee?

A vague memory appeared in my head.

Yesterday night.

The conversation I had with Seta while I was drunk.

“You, become my comrade.”

…Or something like that.

Ehm… My head’s suddenly hurting.

Anyways.

Right after graduating, we were all going down to Ardell together.

Strictly speaking, I would be the employer, and they would be my employees.

Ehm.

Although the fact that everyone was on the same level was a flaw.

Ruina still looked amazed as she muttered while holding herself out the carriage window,

“But… there’s a lot of them, really… Those are all soldiers that will fight for us?”

“That’s right.”:

The ones coming down to Ardell weren’t just my friends.

Behind our carriages, about 3000 soldiers walked in formation and were marching southward.

They were the supporting military force for the ‘southern expedition’ that I spoke of to the Twin Princes in our first meeting.

The princes had kept their promise.

Maybe because of the large number of soldiers…

“I can fight as well.”

Ruina suddenly seemed more confident, and she pulled out the wooden sword tied to her hip.

Hey, hey, Ruina.

We’re too packed together here for you to be holding a sword.

Also, what are you talking about ‘fighting as well’?

“You can’t.”

“Why?”

“Why are you asking if you already know? You’re 10 years too early, so no.”

“You and I are only 4 years apart, so how am I 10 years too early?”

“Still no.”

“Tch.”

You small brat, still messing around like this.

I opened the carriage window on my side.

Although a cold spring wind was blowing into the carriage, this was the best to cool my head down after thinking too hard.

Then, Ruina pulled a piece of jerky out from her bag and bit it.

“But, Ruin…”

“Yeah?”

“When you finish that expedition you’re going to do, are you going to keep staying at our territory?”

“......”

After a short moment of thought, I shook my head.

“No. Father is still there.”

“Then?”

“After finishing up enough of it, I want to travel a bit. But I haven’t decided on the specifics yet.”

“Aah...... Alright.”

“Why? Do you want me to stay?”

I asked, expecting a certain answer, but Ruina replied with her round eyes,

“No.”

“Then?”

“Even though it’s good to see you, after spending so much time without you, I feel like I’m more comfortable when I’m alone. I might like the brother-I-only-see-once-in-a-while better.”

“What?”

As I shot up from my seat, Ruina let out a joking laugh.

“Pfft. You’re so stupid.”

Then, after laughing for a while with the jerky still in her mouth, she steadied herself.

“It’s a joke. Just, Dad said something before.”

“What was it?”

“Although he is currently receiving help from you, he feels that he’s putting you under too much pressure. That, although it’s good to live your life for Ardell, since you graduated, it would be better for you to live as you wished for a bit.”

“......”

So he was thinking something like that.

Traveling…

There was a time when I longed for a life like that.

Wandering around the continent to help the weak and punish evil doers. The life of a heroic magician.

Even though I couldn’t become a magician like that, I probably could take a trip just for myself and go somewhere…

But where would I go?

‘Going to Irene’s homeland together would be good. It’d also be good to go to Oyota for their martial arts.’

Since I was pretty unfamiliar with this topic, I couldn’t think of anything creative.

And so, as I was going down to Ardell idling about,

‘Eh?’

A notification appeared in front of my eyes.

Congratulations.

You have attained 10,000 strength.

You have met the minimum requirements.

‘Legacy’ of The Destroyer of Worlds, Draka, is unlocked.

Player ability ‘Minimap’ is enhanced. The suspected area ofDraka’s Legacy will be marked.

Draka’s Legacy?

Since Straang wasn’t next to me right now, I couldn’t know for sure what this was…

But after checking the enhanced minimap, I could make a rough guess.

As I suddenly started to look around the air in front of me, Ruina recoiled back away from me, and asked with concern in her voice,

“Uhh, Ruin? What are you doing? Did you go insane?”

“......”

My lovely sister.

Even if it looks like this, how could you ask your own brother if he’s gone insane?

I narrowed my eyes, and said to Ruina,

“I found something to do.”

——