A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

"You mean Lux? She's a celebrity." A male student asked Bray for directions said in surprise.

Lux would be considered a genius even at Imperial Academy.

Among the new students in the magic department, he was known as a rising star in lightning magic.

After listening to the male student's explanation, Bray realized that his younger sister seemed to be quite capable.

But even more explosive news is yet to come.

"And Lux ​​is also very close to Princess Virginia, that's quite something."

"Cough cough, what did you say?" Bray coughed violently a few times.

"Virginia what?"

"Your Highness Virginia."

"Lux and Princess Virginia are very familiar with each other?"

"We're more than just familiar, we're practically best friends."

"Wait, let me sort out my thoughts." Bray sighed.

"Your Highness" should be used to address princes, princesses, or similar titles, right?

"Seriously... what's going on here?" Bray rolled his eyes.

"Are you OK?"

“It’s alright. How can I find Lux? I’m her brother,” Bray said.

"Lux's brother!?" The male student exclaimed in surprise.

"She's probably taking a class in that building, but it'll be over soon."

Bray looked in the direction the male student was pointing.

That building is used for practical magic combat.

“Thank you, in every sense of the word,” Bray said.

"No, no, but I didn't expect Lux's brother to be an adventurer."

“Just an unknown adventurer.” Bray shook his head, then said goodbye to the student and headed towards the building. Visage was the head of the magic department, and by adventurer standards, he was undoubtedly an A-rank expert.

More importantly, Visage was a true practitioner-type mage, not a theorist.

Therefore, during actual combat training, I feel very angry every time I see magic science students fighting.

What kind of garbage are they playing?!

This practical exercise will be conducted with low-level adventurers.

Fighting against someone who has learned through countless battles is the fastest way to gain practical experience.

"Are you an idiot?! Trying to cast this kind of spell in front of a swordsman?!" Visage roared, staring at the arena in the center of the training ground.

"Use a weak, quick-cast spell! If we really fought, how many times would you have died already!"

However, before Visage could finish getting angry, the student who had been scolded was cut down by the adventurer with a single sword strike.

The adventurer shrugged and glanced helplessly at Visage in the stands.

Despite possessing immense magical power and mastering countless spells, these students were unable to defeat a mere C-rank adventurer.

"You go down, next." Visage covered his face.

"Director! I demand a rematch!" The student who had been beaten was very dissatisfied.

"Get down! In real combat, there's no second life!" Visage roared.

Seeing Visage's angry expression, the student didn't dare to stand up for himself and left dejectedly.

"Next!"

Another student was slashed and killed.

"Next!!!!"

Another student was beaten up.

Visage didn't know how long the course had lasted, nor how many students had left.

“Next, Luxcrass.” Visage sighed.

Lux took a deep breath and then stepped onto the stage.

"Please guide me!" Lux said.

This summons startled the adventurer on the other side.

"Oh, you're too kind." The adventurer smiled. The students in front of him were all incredibly arrogant, which annoyed him.

However, the girl was quite polite.

"I can release the water," the adventurer chuckled.

"No need." Lux smoothed her ponytail.

“Free Electric Eel!” The next moment, Lux raised her hand to cast the spell.

"Free Electric Eel" is not a summoning spell, but rather refers to the fact that the released charged bodies, when strung together, resemble an eel.

This spell is very powerful, but it has a fatal flaw: it's slow.

"..." Visage in the stands didn't rush to comment, but instead frowned and continued watching.

Even for low-level adventurers, the speed of the "free-roaming electric eel" is considered slow.

The adventurer easily moved away.

However, the adventurer seemed to be taking things too lightly.

Unbeknownst to the adventurer, two "paralysis traps" had been set up around him.

This trigger-based spell only works when the target steps on it.

Even though the adventurer stopped in his tracks, he didn't step on it.

But once that pause occurs, the adventurer can no longer move.

Behind them were "free-roaming electric eels," and in front of them were "paralysis traps." The trapped adventurers had only one path left to walk.

“End, Thunder Spear.” Lux held a spear formed from lightning in her hand.

The spear swept across the arena, heading straight for the adventurer.

"Hey, hey, something bad is going to happen!" the adventurer shouted.

However, the spear vanished the instant it reached the adventurer.

Visage cast a "spell dispel" from the stands, which saved the adventurer.

Well, even if the adventurer takes this hit, he won't actually die.

However, this will definitely affect the students' practical training later on.

"Use two low-mana-cost spells to restrict the opponent's movement, then attack with a long-range, high-power spell."

“A simple and effective strategy.” Visage nodded.

"See that! Use your brains!" Visage glared at the losing student after praising Lux.

"Spells are not rigid things; anyone who stands still and fights with others is a fool."

"A perfect score in theory is meaningless if you can't put it into practice!"

"Don't try to copy that deputy director's artillery tactics; your level isn't even that high!"

Visage felt much better after finally seeing a student with a brain.

Otherwise, the practical training would have made Visage so angry that he would have died a few years too soon.

The students who followed were still brutally beaten by that adventurer.

After accepting the academy's reward, the low-level adventurer left happily.

The practical training course has also come to an end.

After Lux changed from her mage robes into her uniform in the changing room, she originally intended to leave the building.

However, the two lumps by the door stunned Lux.

Two lumps, one large and one small.

"Brother, what are you doing here?! Still sleeping?!" Lux asked with a complicated expression.

"Brave, wake up." Levy's sleep is often very light, and she woke up the moment Lux arrived.

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Bray opened his sleepy right eye.

Since Lux was in class, Bray decided to wait.

However, it seems the practical lesson lasted too long, and Bray and Levy fell asleep by the door.

Bray looked up and immediately saw Lux.

“Ah, Lux, long time no see.” Bray smiled.

"Yes, it's been a long time—"

"Yeah, right!"

"I can't believe you're with a girl by your side," Lux said, sounding annoyed.

"Many reasons," Bray said with a hint of helplessness.

Lux looked at her long-lost relatives.

Lux quickly fell silent, her expression turning somewhat grim.

"What happened to your eyes..." Lux was almost completely stunned when she saw the eyepatch over Bray's left eye.

“An accident that was risky,” Bray said with a light laugh.

"This isn't funny at all!" Lux roared, kicking him. The moment Lux saw Bray's eyepatch, she prayed that it was just something her brother used to look cool.

But when Lux heard Bray's answer, her heart trembled.

"Why? If I had known it would turn out like this, I would never have let you become an adventurer." Lux suddenly burst into tears, but she didn't hesitate to kick Bray.

It was so sudden that even Bray was caught off guard.

“It’s nothing,” Bray said softly.

"What do you mean, nothing? You idiot!"

"Idiot! Idiot! Fool!" Lux gripped Bray's clothes tightly and knelt on the ground.

Lux was about to slap him.

But it still didn't hit the target.

"Well, I'm really sorry," Bray sighed.

It seems that Bray really didn't expect this to happen.

They neglected the feelings of their loved ones.

---

Lux had wiped away her tears completely and sat down on the bench with Bray.

The situation became awkward at one point.

Levy gave a blank look, looking equally bewildered.

"Brother, take off your blindfold and let me see." Lux broke the silence first, but her voice was still a little choked up.

"..." Bray reluctantly took off his blindfold.

Lux saw the empty space in her eye sockets, and her heart felt like it was being shattered.

Does it hurt a lot?

“I could when I was blind, but I don’t have any problems now,” Bray said.

"Why is this eye gone?" Lux asked, pursing her lips.