A C-Rank Magic Student Who Deludes Himself into Thinking He Is SSS-Rank - Chapter 10: The Woman in the Robe <2>

After staring silently at the night sky for about five minutes, the woman finally stood up. She brushed the dust off her robe and, with a somewhat exasperated yet composed demeanor, addressed Shion.

“What are you gawking at? Hurry up and escort me to the market. It’s not like I care, but since you insisted on escorting me, I’m allowing it. You should be grateful!”

“…Alright, let’s go.”

Realizing that arguing was futile, Shion began to walk without protest.

“Wait, are you… upset? I mean, um…”

The woman quickly caught up to him with a mix of anxiety and haste in her voice.

“No, I’m not upset. I’m just glad you’ve recovered fully.”

“Of course I have! Such a thing is nothing to me! And if you’re not upset, you should have said so from the start!”

Her tone, briefly subdued, quickly regained its usual haughtiness.

“Ah, sorry about that. I’ll remember next time.”

“That’s better. Hmph.”

The woman smirked, apparently very pleased with herself.

Shion thought, “Maybe she’s not that bad after all.”

As they walked, Shion leading slightly ahead, they engaged in idle conversation.

“Are we there yet?” “Are you sure you know the way?” “I’m bored. Tell me something interesting. You’re so inconsiderate.” “…Please, no more stories about ‘darkness’ or ‘sin.’ They’re giving me a headache…”

As they continued, the dimly lit path ahead began to reveal the lights of the town and the sounds of people.

“Look, we’re almost there.”

“I can see that! Are you mocking me?”

“…Right.”

The woman’s attitude remained the same throughout their fifteen-minute walk filled with casual chatter.

“Oh, by the way,” she suddenly stopped.

“I owe you thanks, even though I didn’t ask for your help.”

“Don’t worry about it. You don’t have to.”

“I must. It would be against my principles to not express gratitude, even if I didn’t ask for your help.”

“…?”

Shion found her emphasis on ‘principles’ a bit peculiar.

Her overly ladylike tone, arrogant attitude, insistence on expressing gratitude as a matter of ‘principle,’ and how her robe’s hood was deeply drawn to hide her face…

“(Could this woman actually believe she’s some kind of adventurous princess who sneaked out of a castle to explore the commoners’ streets? She’s really peculiar…)”

Shion was somewhat taken aback.

“I wonder if I have anything suitable to give you as thanks…”

“There’s no need to force it. I didn’t help you expecting anything in return.”

As the woman fumbled under her robe, Shion responded to avoid making her feel obliged.

“That’s not necessary for my reputation… Ah! I know!”

She suddenly lifted the hood that was covering her head.

In the moonlight, her lustrous peach-colored hair and eyes sparkled. She was a breathtakingly beautiful young woman, around eighteen, whose appearance would captivate anyone in the streets.

“(She’s… taking it off?)”

The stunning beauty took Shion aback before him. His reaction was muted, a result of his lack of development in recognizing feelings for the opposite sex during adolescence.

The girl reached behind her neck and removed a pendant, bringing it out from under her robe. The pendant was adorned with a deep purple jewel, almost black in the darkness, about four centimeters long.

“I’ll give you this as thanks!”

“No, that’s too much. It looks expensive, and it must be important to you.”

“It might be costly, but we have plenty of these at home! Don’t hesitate to accept it!”

“No, um…”

“What, you think my necklace is too dirty for you? That it’s beneath you? I’ll kill you!”

“No, no, calm down! I’m not saying that!”

Shion quickly reassured her.

“So you’ll accept it, right?”

“Thank you, I’ll accept it graciously.”

Finally conceding, Shion accepted the pendant. “That’s more like it,” the girl said, handing the pendant with great satisfaction.

“You might not wear a pendant, but you can sell it for a good price and use the money for your needs.”

“No, this is a token of your gratitude. I’ll cherish it.”

Despite his sometimes questionable behavior, Shion was visibly pleased to receive the pendant, a thin smile on his lips.

“That’s a good attitude.”

Putting her hood back on, she spoke quietly, “Come on, let’s go,” and they resumed their walk to the market.

Upon reaching the market and strolling through the stalls, the girl suddenly said, “I see someone I know. You’re no longer needed. Go away.”

“That’s good. Be careful not to stray next time.”

“Mind your own business!”

Annoyed, she walked away but then stopped and turned back to Shion.

“What’s your name, by the way?”

“Me? I’m Shion. Shion Kurosaki.”

“Shion… Well, I’ll remember it if I feel like it. And who are you? Are you some dangerous person named Red something or Levnat?”

“No,” Shion replied with a proud smile. “I’m just a C-grade magic student.”

“A student? Just a…?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Hmm, well, whatever.”

She seemed puzzled by his answer but quickly shrugged it off.

“Well then, Shion. Thank you for today. I’m a little bit grateful.”

With that, the girl turned and walked away without looking back.

After ensuring she met up with someone she knew, Shion headed towards the royal city’s station.

◆

After parting ways with the girl, Shion boarded a magic train back to the magic academy dormitory and had a late dinner.

Once he finished his meal and cleaned up, he gathered magic books and potions from his room and headed to the academy’s practice field. His sole purpose was magic training.

He dived into his training with concentration as if earlier events never happened. The idea of taking it easy and resting, even after a tiring day, didn’t occur to Shion. Fatigue didn’t matter; he could always keep going by consuming potions.

“Panting heavily, hands on the ground, his face strained with effort, Shion pushed himself to the limits. Veins bulged across his body as sweat drenched the ground beneath him.

He had returned home after 8 pm and trained intensively until 2 am. By the time he finished, he was so exhausted that standing up was a struggle.

After a shower to wash off the sweat from training, he cast a “Recovery Acceleration” spell on himself and went to sleep.

One hour later, Shion woke up and began training in magic again.

This was the daily routine of Shion Kurosaki, living not just day by day but second by second, constantly pushing his limits.