The Academy’s Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter

༺ End of the Second Semester (3) ༻

Kwang!

Dorm for top students at ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, Charles Hall. Shared kitchen.

A female student kicked open the kitchen door, revealing a mischievous smile.

“How quiet!”

It was Dorothy Heartnova, a female student with flowing lavender hair.

She had left the witch hat that she usually wore back in her room. After all, she would be bustling about from now on.

She entered the kitchen and made the glowing lamp brighter before tying an apron around herself.

[Yawn, what are you making?]

“Something for Isaac to eat.”

As Ella, the white cat familiar with a ribbon on her tail, yawned while asking, Dorothy tied her hair into a ponytail and responded.

[Ahhh… But do you know how to cook?]

“I haven’t tried since coming to the academy, but I used to do it a lot, you know? Okay nice, preparations are done~.”

Dorothy was now ready to cook.

After Dorothy brought out the ingredients she had prepared in advance with her starlight mana…

She skillfully wielded the knife, adjusted the seasoning, and heated the food as she cooked it to completion.

Chop, chop.

At first glance, dishes that boasted impressive appearances began to pile up. Each time, Ella’s expression turned into one of astonishment.

[Oh my…]

She never imagined that her usually clumsy master would be so adept at cooking.

“Huh.”

Suddenly, Dorothy, who was stirring the boiling soup in the pot, stopped her hands.

[What’s wrong, Dorothy?]

“Aren’t I too perfect…? I’m starting to get scared of myself…!”

Dorothy’s hands trembled. Per usual, it was a sight of her basking in her own greatness.

Ella was already accustomed to Dorothy boasting about herself frequently.

Every time she did so, she couldn’t help but automatically sigh in response.

However, at the same time, a smile appeared on her face.

Ella was Dorothy’s familiar so she could feel her master’s emotions.

Despite Dorothy always appearing lively, Ella had always sensed a deep emotional pain, like being pricked by a skewer. However, she had never brought it up on purpose because there was no point in doing so.

But now, it felt like most of that pain had been chased away.

Dorothy was shaking off the longing, regret, and pain that she had always been ensnared by and finally began to enjoy the present to the fullest.

“Nihihi. Not only am I pretty, but I’m also good at magic and cooking. Doesn’t that totally make me…”

[A great potential bride.]

“…!”

Dorothy’s face turned bright red in an instant.

She pursured her lips as if she had heard something she shouldn’t have, before silently stirring the hot soup in the pot.

[Dorothy?]

Although she had remarked without much thought, Ella anxiously worried whether she had said something wrong.

Soon after, Dorothy let out laughter close to a moan with a ‘Nehehe’, before managing to speak.

“Seriouslyyy~… Refrain from saying that. What do you mean by a great potential bride? Isn’t that a bit too muchhhh~?”

Dorothy swayed her body happily. An expression of joy with a hint of shyness. It was as if numerous flower petals were fluttering around her.

Ella glared at Dorothy.

No joke… It seemed like just imagining it was enough to make her die of happiness.

* * *

“President, how does it taste?!”

“It’s phenomenally delicious.”

“Good! What a great answer!”

The twisted tree branch was now covered with white snowflakes.

As the second semester came to an end with the end-of-semester evaluations and the winter vacation ceremony was just a day away…

I was training elemental magic in the corner of the butterfly garden for the first time in a while. With my fatigue gone and my mana depletion state relieved, I was burning with enthusiasm.

Mana flowed much more stably than before. How would I put it…? It kinda felt like my mana circuit had become more robust. It was similar to how new muscle cells were created after a shitton of strength training.

This further fueled my already burning enthusiasm. It was definitely worthwhile to push my limits in order to defeat the Floating Island.

When lunchtime came, Dorothy suddenly appeared, spread out a mat, and laid out the dishes she brought with starlight mana.

I devoured it like a starving dog. No BS. The savory taste was so prominent and light; I was about to go crazy because of how delicious it was.

‘Is this for real? Did I die and go to heaven? My favorite character is even good at cooking?”

After the Floating Island disappeared, everything about Dorothy was now unknown territory.

There was no record of Dorothy cooking in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.

To think that Dorothy had this side to her. I never would have guessed.

“I prepared it to celebrate the return of the President’s mana. It isn’t often that you can eat my cooking, okay?”

“Holy sh- The taste is actually insane. Wow…”

“…Actually, it might be a bit often!”

Look at her oh-so-naturally switching up her words.

Such trivial things felt like proof that I had become a precious person to Dorothy which made me happy.

“Thank you for the meal.”

I finished every dish that Dorothy prepared without a single morsel left over, then leaned against a zelkova tree beside her.

It was to digest what I just ate while also spending time with her.

But still, I couldn’t neglect my training, so I quietly conjured [Frostfire] in one hand to train my [Elemental Efficiency].

“President.”

“Yes?”

“Have you planned something; like where to go during vacation?”

“For the most part, I’ll probably stay at the academy the entire time. I don’t really have anywhere to go anyway.”

“What about your hometown?”

“There’s no one there, even if I go, so…”

I didn’t know where Isaac’s hometown was.

If I asked his older sister, Eve Ropenheim, I might find out, but for some reason, she seemed to be deliberately avoiding me, so there was no need to approach her.

In the first place, even if I went to his hometown, there would be no one anyway.

“Hmmm.”

Dorothy made a meaningful expression.

Thanks to [All In the World], she could see through the essence of everything and even had the ability to read emotions, so Dorothy was actually very sharp in some unexpected aspects.

I didn’t really know the meaning behind making that expression instead of questioning me further though.

Since I couldn’t read Dorothy’s mind and it was difficult to even predict her emotions, I decided to not dwell on it any further.

“President, this Big Sis has been thinking about something.”

“Yes.”

“If you ever encounter any difficulties, let me know. I know the President is stronger than me, but you’re not omnipotent. You can ask me for help anytime, even if it’s a bit of an unreasonable request.”

“Hmm, all of a sudden?”

“What do you mean ‘all of a sudden’? Thanks to you, the curse was lifted and I survived… In fact, I was actually late to say this. It’s just a simple matter of repaying your kindness.”

Dorothy smiled brightly.

An unreasonable request. I did have something in mind.

‘That…’

Should I ask her or not?

I had pondered this question dozens of times.

At this point, it was probably not a bad time to ask…

…Right?

“…Then can I make an unreasonable request now?”

“Right away? So decisive… Well, fine. Whatever it is, tell me!”

“Please answer just one question. It is a bit of an impolite question though…”

“That’s easy peasy~. What is it?”

“On that day, did Senior kiss me?”

“…”

Suddenly, Dorothy flinched her head back before gazing at the sky. Her face seemed to be in deep contemplation.

Whether she was trying to see through the intention behind my question or pondering what kind of answer to give… I wasn’t too sure.

“Hey, President.”

Eventually, Dorothy smiled coyly, leaning her upper body towards me while cocking her head.

“I didn’t know the President wanted to kiss me that badly~.”

Dorothy’s uniquely captivating fragrance assaulted my sense of smell.

For a moment, my breathing stopped.

‘She really just went for it…’

I almost replied, ‘Of fucking course’…

I quickly regained my composure.

Should I take this positively or as a joke?

As I contemplated how to reply, Dorothy chuckled and leaned back against the zelkova tree.

“This Big Sis is also a girl, you know? Those questions are embarrassing, okay?”

Didn’t you just say answering a mere question would be easy peasy?

“Yes, well… I’ll refrain from doing so.”

But still, I was always on Dorothy’s side, so I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.

‘It’s fine if I get to know her little by little.’

I wasn’t sure whether she avoided answering due to embarrassment.

And I didn’t have even the slightest intention of interrogating Dorothy about whether she kissed me or not.

After all, if it was true, that would be great. If not, it was whatever.

“By the way, President.”

At that moment, Dorothy brought up another topic as if waiting for the right timing.

“There was something that happened that day that I wasn’t sure if I should tell you about. But I thought it was the right thing to do.”

In the context of our conversation, ‘that day’ seemed to refer to the time when we leaned against the wall of the hideout after defeating the Floating Island.

I just had to faint at the time when it would be ambiguous whether Dorothy kissed me or not.

“Didn’t you find it strange that you woke up safely at dawn? No matter how robust the President’s body is, you pushed yourself wayyyyy too hard at that time.”

Something certainly did feel out of place.

I roughly thought that Dorothy intermittently helped me recover after I fainted. But the only reason I thought that was because that was the only explanation that made sense.

“Did something else happen?”

“A cute kid called Kaya came to find you.”

…Huh?

“She seemed to really like the President. It also seemed like the President had been sharing quite a bit of secrets with her for a while now… And it seemed like you and her rely on each other quite a bit, you know?”

“…”

“President is unexpectedly really popular, aren’t you?”

Dorothy was speaking with her usual smiling face, but…

Somehow… There was a thorn-like sensation in her voice. It was somewhat menacing.

For now, I didn’t know what the exact circumstances were, but…

If Kaya had come, it made sense that I could safely wake up at dawn.

Soon after, Dorothy began to tell me about what had happened that day.

* * *

After defeating the Floating Island.

It was the middle of the night when Isaac and Dorothy were sleeping while leaning against the outer wall of the board-framed hideout.

As gentle light green mana floated like fireflies and seeped into their bodies, Dorothy slowly opened her eyes from Isaac’s shoulder because her chest felt warm.

“What are you doing?”

A solemn-like cute voice could be heard from the side.

Dorothy turned her head in that direction.

A female student with long verdant green hair was leaning against the wall with both her hands clasped behind her butt.

School uniform, brilliant red pupils, and a placid expression.

Unlike usual, her hair wasn’t tied in twin tails.

By her hip, the Armana Wand was visible in her hand.

Around her, something similar to thick tree branches rose from the ground, emitting vibrant green mana.

Isaac’s injuries, which couldn’t be healed by a mana depleted Dorothy, was instantly treated.

Plant mana that could only be used by those who had been recognized by Sylphia, the Emerald Fairy.

In terms of recovery magic, it was a top-tier element that far surpassed any others in its performance.

Dorothy blankly stared at such a sight with her jaws agape.

“I guess you didn’t notice me coming because you were too busy fawning over Sir Isaac, Senior.”

Dorothy remembered seeing her before.

During the Thunderbird Subjugation, she casted [Tree of Radiance] to heal the injured.

And during the social gathering, she was the green-haired girl who had run away with Isaac.

Magic Department 1st-year second seat, Kaya Astrea.

“…Did you follow us after seeing our fall?”

“Yes. Luckily, I found you. I’ve been here with Sir Isaac before, so finding the way was easy.”

The honorific address, ‘Sir Isaac’. Her manner of speaking indicated a clear and thorough understanding of the situation.

Only after Dorothy used [Emotional Insight] did she realize that Kaya was someone who knew Isaac’s secrets.

“Thank you for coming… It seemed like Isaac here would have taken a whole day for his condition to improve. Thanks to you, he can recover much faster.”

“…”

Kaya furrowed her brows towards Dorothy who was smiling faintly.

Isaac was in such a state to save Dorothy.

She couldn’t even fathom how terrifying of a demon the Floating Island must have been. In human terms, perhaps it had reached the level of an Archwizard.

That was probably why Isaac seemed to have struggled desperately for the first time. Even when putting it lightly, his physical condition wasn’t good at all.

Dorothy probably couldn’t do anything either. It was understandable. But…

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

A murderous tone.

Kaya modestly gathered her legs and sat on the ground before tucking her flowing hair behind her ear.

And then, while resting her chin on her hand, she shot a cynical look at Dorothy.

Kaya’s blood-red pupils boasted a beautiful color.

“Sir Isaac is someone who will become my man. Who does Senior think she is to nonchalantly say that my man’s condition will so easily improve? Sir Isaac became like this because he wanted to save Senior.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s a huge relief that Senior is safe. I’m sure you had your own unavoidable circumstances. But still, despite being that strong… Senior was powerless to do anything and even made Sir Isaac suffer… I hate you, Senior.”

Kaya loved Isaac as a man. Of that she was certain.

There was no doubt that there could have been various circumstances for both Dorothy and Isaac.

However, because Dorothy brought back the man she loved in such a severely injured state, Kaya did not have the will nor a sound enough mind to be respectful to Dorothy.

After all, she was so heartbroken that it was driving her crazy.

As such, the fact that Dorothy talked so nonchalantly when he had exerted himself to this extent didn’t sit well with Kaya.

“…”

Dorothy didn’t say anything. She couldn’t

She had planned to sacrifice her life to bring down the Floating Island…

And Isaac had overexerted himself just to save her.

Of course, Dorothy had worn her smiling mask merely out of habit. Inside, she was deeply concerned about Isaac.

However, Dorothy’s feelings were probably not properly conveyed to Kaya.

“Hoo.”

Kaya sighed deeply and then stood up to approach Isaac.

As she sat back down, she leaned against Isaac’s chest as if embracing him.

“Huh?”

Dorothy was taken aback.

With blushed cheeks, Kaya buried her face in Isaac’s blood-soaked school uniform before lifting her face and glaring at Dorothy with a scowl.

It was as if she was nailing down the fact that Isaac was her man.

“I secretly sneaked out of the subjugation force, so I have to go back soon… but I have no intention of yielding Sir Isaac to Senior.”

After asserting that, Kaya smiled while gazing at Isaac.

The verdant green mana reflected onto his deeply sleeping face, creating a flickering shadow on the snow-filled ground.

He was, indeed, incredibly lovely.

“Sir Isaac, I’ll see you soon. I love you.”

Kaya gently kissed Isaac’s cheek before standing up.

“Although I said some hateful things… Thank you for staying alive as well, Senior.”

The tree branches formed from plant mana turned into verdant dust that shone like a firefly before scattering away.

In the lingering aftermath of the scattered verdant mana, Kaya swiftly turned her back and left the forest path with her verdant green hair flowing behind her.

Dorothy was left in a daze.