SMMA 98

Chapter 98

“I was thinking—it’s actually quite a well-made boat.”

“…Hmph. Don’t flatter me.”

Angrago had to disguise his pleased expression by forcing his voice to sound rough.

Ihan sighed inwardly.

The fact that this raft is currently our best option depresses me.

He couldn’t learn enchantment magic right away, nor could he befriend an ice spirit anytime soon—so this was all they had.
Even if it was unreliable, it needed testing.

“How many people can it carry?”

“It can easily hold twenty!”

That confidence only worsened Ihan’s unease. The raft looked like it would barely manage ten at best.

“Perfect timing, Wardanaz! Get on and test it yourself!”

Ihan fought to maintain his composure, his already cold face growing even colder.

The look alone made Angrago flinch.

…Did I sound too harsh?

“Before that… I’d like to see how well you row it by yourself. It’s always easier alone than with others on board.”

At that, Angrago’s eyes flared with determination.

Throwing off his coat, he climbed onto the raft and grabbed two carefully carved oars.

“Fine then! Watch closely!”

With practiced motion, he began rowing across the calm lake.
Even without a sail, the small vessel glided smoothly over the water’s surface.

His friend on shore cheered.

“Magnificent, Angrago!”

Gliding freely across the lake’s mirrorlike surface, Angrago looked almost radiant.
Watching him, the White Tiger Tower student felt something rare—freedom.

For a moment, it didn’t feel like the pressure-filled academy at all, but a peaceful lakeside somewhere far away.

At least it doesn’t leak.

While the others were lost in romantic wonder, Ihan coolly analyzed.

Most important of all, the raft was watertight.
And after more than ten minutes, there’d been no attack from monsters or the skeletal Headmaster—it seemed reasonably safe.

“Well, Wardanaz? Do you admit Angrago’s skill now?”

“I’m sorry. Not yet.”

“What?!”

“Anyone can steer well alone. But can he handle it just as smoothly with someone else aboard?”

The provocation hit its mark.

Angrago’s friend shouted angrily,
“Angrago! Wardanaz is asking if you can row just as well with me on board!”

“Of course I can!”

Angrago immediately paddled back to shore, pulled the raft in, and gestured proudly.

“Watch carefully, Wardanaz!”

“I don’t think you can manage it with the extra weight.”

That was deliberate. Ihan’s tone was calm but taunting.

“Just wait and see!”

Angrago rowed even harder than before, slicing through the water with growing intensity—sweat rolling down his temples, arm muscles swelling with strain.

For more than twenty minutes, Ihan drew out the test with murmured lines like,
“Still inconclusive.”
“A short burst doesn’t prove consistency.”
“Maybe his limits will show soon.”

By the time he nodded in quiet satisfaction, he’d confirmed everything he needed to know.

Perhaps… befriending the White Tiger students won’t be impossible after all.

*        *        *

“Huff… huff… see that…? That’s… my skill…”

“I acknowledge your victory.”

Ihan’s words made Angrago attempt to cheer, but he was too exhausted.
He collapsed flat on the grass, gasping heavily.

After a long rest, he managed to stand again.

“Then let me try next.”

“…Again?”

The word slipped out weakly—several rowing sessions had already scarred him mentally.

Sensing hesitation, Ihan casually pushed him back into motion.

“You’re not… losing confidence, are you…?”

“Get on!”

Leaping back up, Angrago climbed onto the raft once more.

His friend Dukema gave him a worried look.

“Maybe I should… wait on shore?”

“Dukema! You doubt my honor?”

“I—I’m sorry, Angrago! I’ve dishonored your name!”

“Just get going already.”

Ihan’s voice was indifferent. The chivalrous dramatics of the two knights held zero interest to him.

Now for the island’s coordinates.

He was confident in the raft’s stability; it was time to confirm the island’s location and potential routes.

Angrago clenched his jaw and began rowing. The raft skimmed across the water once again.

Ihan narrowed his eyes, focusing on the distant expanse.

A telescope would help…

If only he could use artifact-enhanced sight or some long-range spell.
Then he remembered something Alar Long had once said:

“A master swordsman channels his mana to enhance the body. It may not be as refined as magic, but in battle, nothing compares.”

Perhaps vision could be strengthened the same way.

He gathered mana.

He wasn’t yet skilled enough to circulate it precisely to one organ,
but excess mana wasn’t something Ihan ever lacked.

He released it freely, flooding his body. Concentrated around his eyes, the magic temporarily sharpened his vision.

“?!?!”

The two students flinched at the sudden surge of killing intent.

They were, after all, in the middle of a lake—
a very convenient place to dispose of bodies.

Splash!

Both instantly gripped their wooden swords in panic.

Then Ihan shouted,

“I found it!”

“??”

“The island—I found it!”

“What?! How?!”

Angrago was astonished.
Even after launching the raft, he hadn’t spotted so much as a silhouette.

How did he…?

“Just lucky. Why are you holding swords?”

“……”

“We, uh, flinched. Instinct.”

“You’re surprisingly jumpy.”

They both twitched in outrage.

You blasted us with mana like a demon—what did you expect?!

*        *        *

Ihan carefully jotted the direction into his notebook.

“Let’s head back. Now that we’ve marked the route, we can return properly later.”

“Alright.”

Angrago was secretly relieved.
His arms had started screaming in pain long ago.

“Urgh—”

His strength faltered as the oar slipped and struck something soft.

What the…?

It felt like he’d stabbed a blob of jelly with the paddle.

Splash—

“…???”

They didn’t have to wonder long.
The lake’s surface bulged ominously before something burst out.

A shape of churning water—alive.

A water spirit.

Shhhh!

It fired barbed spikes of pressurized water.

Ihan reacted instantly, kicking Dukema aside—the spike whistled past his head by an inch.

“S-sorry! Wardanaz! I must have hit it with the oar!”

“Angrago! What have you done?!”

Dukema’s voice trembled.

Angrago had enraged a water spirit—in the middle of a lake, no less.
Unbelievable.

Strange… it doesn’t look angry, Ihan thought, studying the spirit coolly.

Its energy was fierce but not overwhelming—not on the level of Perkuntla.
Clearly a lesser elemental.

And what he sensed wasn’t aggression—
but fear.

Why would it be afraid? Being smacked once with an oar shouldn’t terrify a spirit.

“…Ah.”

Ihan clicked his tongue as realization dawned.

He was the cause.

The blast of mana he’d released earlier while locating the island had frightened it senseless.

Shhhh! Shhh!

The trembling spirit lashed out wildly, launching watery spikes to drive him away.

The two White Tiger students screamed as the lake erupted—but Ihan swung his staff effortlessly.

Boom!

Each water spike met a suspended sphere of water midair, detonating harmlessly.

Intimidating at first glance—but not powerful.

The others saw terror; Ihan saw weak, uncontrolled aggression.

Compared to Volady’s assaults, this was nothing.

This guy…

Angrago was more shocked by Ihan than the spirit itself.

They’d trained together, attended the same classes—and yet this composed, unflinching figure felt like a different species entirely.

What kind of training does the Wardanaz family put their children through to make something like this?

Ihan turned his cold gaze on him.
Water arrows flew all around, but he deflected them without even looking.

“Pull yourself together. I need your strength.”

“You’re… not blaming me?”

“……”

For a moment Ihan almost laughed.

Ah, he actually thinks this is his fault.

“Of course it’s your fault. But anyone can make mistakes.”

In other words—no need to correct him.

“What matters is what you do after.”

Angrago’s chest tightened.

To think he’d ever be moved by words from Wardanaz of all people.

“You’re right! Leave it to me!”

He drew his sword and stood, brimming with renewed spirit.

Ihan frowned.
“What are you doing?”

“Blocking the spikes? With swordsmanship?”

“No. Keep rowing.”

“……”

Angrago sat back down in silence and grabbed his oars again.

Meanwhile, the water spirit realized the horrifying truth—
its attacks had zero effect on this human.

It trembled violently, then made a fatal decision.

“Wait!”

Ihan realized too late.

The spirit submerged and began summoning reinforcements.

“Shield—expand!”

Ihan spread his water barrier wide around the raft.

Frightened spirits now turned their fury not at him, but the raft itself.

Cowardly things.

He mentally swore never to underestimate water elementals again.

He kept his composure as the shield thickened, but the barrage was relentless.
Opaque waves smashed against the magical barrier while the two White Tiger students screamed behind him.

The spikes hammered closer, harder—any one could pierce through at any moment.

Ihan’s calm expression only made it worse.

How are you NOT scared?!

If Volady saw this, he’d shed tears of joy, Ihan thought wryly.

For all their vicious flailing, the spirits lacked tactics. They just kept ramming the same spot.

He almost pitied them.

As the counteroffensive continued, the raft picked up speed.

They were outrunning the spirits.

“…Wait—where are you steering?!”

Only then did Ihan realize the raft was aimed toward the opposite shore—
closer to the island itself.

Angrago’s frantic rowing had carried them there without him even noticing.