The Nameless Extra: I Proofread This World-Chapter 51: Second Session of Polaris Circle
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Later that afternoon, once the Affinity Evaluation and their lunch period had formally concluded, Ruvian made his way toward the training grounds.
It was time for their second session of Polaris Circle instruction.
As he walked alone, Ruvian found himself reflecting, somewhat unwillingly, on whether the words he had spoken to Corwin had been unduly severe for that moment.
His gaze, rather than fixed ahead as propriety would suggest, drifted instead toward the floor, as though the ground might offer a more tolerable object of scrutiny.
Then, out of nowhere, a voice arose from behind him, its cadence aligned with his measured steps.
"I think you were rather too harsh on him."
Ruvian turned his head slightly, though his steps did not stop, merely enough to place a face upon the voice—and found, to his mild surprise, that it was...
’Melia?’
For an instant, his attention lingered.
Her hair, darker than he remembered it, fell in a smooth, shadowed cascade that caught no light, while her eyes, unmistakable even at a glance, held that same lucid gold, clear and steady as if lit from within.
Ruvian activated [Character Sheet] on her.
===============
{}---『RUNEHEART』---{}
◇ Name: Melia Festora
◇ Age: 18
◇ Spellcore: Tier 1
◇ Rank: Fourth-Class Magus
◇ Magic Affinity: None
[Mana Resonance: (14/100)]
==[General Attributes]==
Strength: D-
Agility: E+
Endurance: E+
Vitality: D-
Perception: E
==[Mage Attributes]==
Mana Control: E-
Casting Speed: E-
Magic Power: E-
Mental Strength: D
Mana Sensitivity: F+
Mana Essence: [220/220]
==[Innate Blessings]==
- [N/A]
==[Affinity Mastery]==
- [Pure Mana (Basic)]
===============
’Huh? She’s stronger than I thought... for a Class E scholar. Based on her stats, she’s stronger than Griffer and Noelle.’
He faced forward again.
Later, Melia matched his pace, walking deliberately beside him, until they walked side by side as if it had always been so.
"I assume you didn’t arrive halfway through by coincidence." Ruvian said.
Melia gave a knowing smile and shook her head lightly. "Sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak up on both of you."
She continued. "As someone without an affinity," she said unhurriedly, "I thought I might understand what he was feeling."
The remark reminded Ruvian of something. He recalled her standing before the device earlier, its surface dim and unresponsive, too, just as it had been for him and for Corwin.
Ruvian didn’t say anything, but the memory stayed with him.
"He looked like he was faltering toward the end," she continued. "So I thought I’d go and cheer him up, or something along those lines. But you were already there."
Ruvian exhaled softly.
"I see. Well, I somewhat agree with you..."
"Perhaps, I was a little harsh."
The concession came from him, yet neither did it carry regret. He knew his words had been harsh, yet he still believed they’d been necessary.
Even so, in the back of his mind, he was aware that his reasoning wasn’t unwholly impartial. He said that mostly because he wanted to.
"But it should be fine," he added.
Melia regarded him then, more intently than before. His dark blue eyes, deep as submerged stone and just as steady, showed no flicker of hesitation or doubt.
The assurance in them was so unforced that she found herself asking, almost without realizing it,
"Why do you think so?"
Ruvian lifted his gaze slightly.
"Because it’s better to break here and now than later," he said.
By then, they had reached the training grounds; the doors stood ahead, already open, the interior washed in pale afternoon light.
Ruvian stopped at the entrance.
"And besides... Corwin’s stronger than he looks."
Melia smiled softly.
Both of them stepped inside.
*****
Each of the Polaris had scarcely settled into their places when Airin stepped forward, her expression carrying that gentle attentiveness which never seemed to leave her.
"For your information, I have already received the reports from your Affinity Evaluation," she said, her voice warm but clear enough to reach every corner of the hall.
"I imagine some of you found the results gratifying, and others... less so. Regardless, I would like you all to remember that an affinity is merely a predisposition, nothing else. Effort, discipline, and understanding will always matter more in the long run."
"And to those who were not granted one," she continued, tone softening rather than dimming, "do not let that discourage you. You are not barred from magic. As proof of that, you need only look to your colleagues here."
She turned her head at Ruvian.
"Ruvian, too, stands among the Unaffined, and yet he is perfectly capable of casting."
Many eyes turned to Ruvian with curiosity, others with surprise, a few with relief, perhaps, or the first fragile threads of hope.
Airin observed them all in a single sweep. Most seemed outwardly unaffected by the morning’s evaluation.
All except for one.
Corwin sat slightly apart in presence if not in distance, his gaze unfixed, his thoughts clearly elsewhere, as if nothing around him could reach him anymore.
Airin immediately noticed it.
As someone who understood the room, she shifted the subject.
"By the way," she said lightly, "we will be increasing today’s training workload. I would like to ensure that all of you are adequately prepared for the trials at the end of your orientation week."
"What?" Griffer blurted, the word escaping with more volume and blunt disbelief than courtesy.
"Hold on a second. We got trials incoming?"
Beside him, Noelle spoke instead with measured calm. "Instructor Airin, that’s very sudden. May I ask what these trials are for?"
While Ruvian, for his part, remained silent.
He already knew.
The Trials of Confrontation.
That knowledge was precisely why he had spent the past days refining his mana circulation, tempering his essence, and rehearsing the spells he had.
Each participant would be forced to face a construct of themselves, a dead-accurate copy of them, but with one advantage the original didn’t have.
The purpose was obvious, in the blunt, merciless way truth usually is: to make every first-year scholar face their worst flaw, see it take shape, harden, and come at them like it meant to break their bone, until they either shattered under it... or learned what they had been lacking all along.
Beating someone else was already hard.
But beating a perfected version of yourself that sharpened with what you lacked... was something else entirely.
Airin dipped her head slightly toward Noelle. "In essence, you will be fighting against yourselves," she explained, her tone as reassuring as it was professional.
They all gave her puzzled looks.
"As for the mechanics of how such a thing is arranged, you needn’t concern yourselves with that. The faculty will handle all necessary preparations. Your task is simply to be ready, physically, mentally, and magically... when the time comes."
She offered them a small, encouraging smile.
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[Chapter 51: Second Session of Polaris Circle]
PP= 11490
