It looked exactly like I remembered it.

Raphael stood before the complex’s gate, a suitcase in his hand. It hadn't even been a month since he left Proteorno, but he felt a bit disappointed seeing how basically nothing changed. He couldn't really tell what he hoped had changed either, but seeing everything stay the same rubbed him the wrong way.

Putting his unreasonable expectations aside, he prepared his phone and his old university ID, before stepping into the complex. He walked past the stone walls that surrounded the building, expecting to be stopped by a security guard, but they only watched him as he entered.

So they remember me?

Raphael continued his walk, going straight to the center of the complex. The cobblestone roads were surrounded with greenery, a mix of orange Southern Maple trees and red Proteorno Cherry trees, which looked dazzling when combined with the little street lamps that lit up the surroundings.

Proteorno Magic Academy consisted of four branches of schools. An elementary school, a middle school, a high school, and a university. The complex was located at the center of the city, in a square shape with each side being one and a quarter kilopebs in length.

The academy had stood for hundreds of years, most of the academy's buildings, including the administration building, were made of bricks.

Many buildings had been renovated, required if they were to keep standing, thus many had a mix of more recent materials like concrete and steel. They weren't painted and were left there, mixing in with the older bricks.

It didn't look good, not to Anton's taste, at least, but he did appreciate their way of preserving history. He wasn't here to comment about the university aesthetic's choices, however, and stepped straight toward the administration building located in the center of the complex when,

"Is that the Great Mage?"

"It's Great Mage senpai!"

"I couldn't believe my eyes…"

"Oh, does this mean I'll win that five-star character I've been wanting?"

… Eh?

Even though none of them spoke to him directly, Raphael could feel all their stares.

"Eh! I want a pic! I want a pic!"

"Stop it, you'll bother him!"

You're already bothering me…

Raphael hastened his steps. He felt something tingling his senses. Something, or rather, someone, was staring at him.

He leaped off the ground, soaring high into the sky. A split second afterward, flames consumed the space he once stood in. Using water magic, he extinguished them before landing, preventing the fire from spreading to the surrounding plants.

He looked to his sides. The spectators, those that previously stared at him with interest, let out an astonished gasp.

"Did he?"

"He didn't even see the magic coming!"

"You must not need sight when you're as powerful as him."

What kinds of rumors were they spreading about me!?

Yet Raphael didn't have the time to pay attention to them. He sensed another attack coming.

!

He formed a fire sword with his mind and slashed the incoming water attack. It vaporized the attack, turning it into steam. The sword didn't survive any longer and disappeared with it.

"That's so cool!"

"Kyaa, marry me mage!"

"That's a bit too far!"

I agree! Anyway, is someone after me!?

He didn't understand who he pissed off to the point that people started sending assassins at him. Besides, why when he was here? He should have been a much easier target when he was in Kaleya.

So why?

He didn't have time to think. The attacks so far had been small-scale, but if he wasn't careful, he risked getting some innocent spectators harmed-

"You brats! Come here!"

"We got caught!"

"Run!"

Raphael looked toward the source of the younger voices, seeing three male students with high school uniforms jumping off the trees and running as fast as they could, meanwhile, an older gentleman ran after them.

"…"

Raphael wasn't sure of what to make of this situation as he continued his walk to the administration building.

* ••

"We're terribly sorry!" the three high schoolers said at the same time, clasping their hands together.

"It's alright…" Raphael waved his hand, trying to show a genuine smile. Truth be told, he was bothered by their actions, but he couldn't really say that.

"But Sir you're truly as they say!"

"The way you vaporized our water attack, that's so awesome!"

"Yeah! Yeah! Truly fitting of your title."

"I'm glad you think so," Raphael replied while observing the three people sitting in front of him.

"Sigh… sorry about that, Raphael. I wasn't expecting your visit to begin like this."

"Haha… I guess…"

Apparently, Raphael had become a legend after he left the university. When he was still there, he hardly showed himself around the complex outside of classes. He spent most of his time in his room, either studying or making medicine or in class during sessions. At most, he could be seen in the library, taking a look at the books there. His juniors had been spreading the news of this 'legendary mysterious upperclassmen' long before he graduated, but he just didn't know about it. Those who just entered university heard about him, then spread the news to their contacts in high school.

Within just a week, he had turned into some kind of idol.

Glad it happened after I left.

He couldn't even begin to imagine just how it would have been had the rumors spread while he was still studying there.

"Anyway, you three go back to the dorms. No messing around!"

"Yes, Sir."

The teacher's loud voice seemed to terrify the three. They bowed their heads toward Raphael, before leaving.

"Oh, Great Mage, can I ask something?" one of them stopped next to the door.

"What is it?"

"Can you spar with us?"

"... How about tomorrow after school?"

The other two, who had left the room, poked their heads after hearing his words.

"Really!?" They say in unison, their eyes sparkling.

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"I'm here to train anyway."

"Ah, thank you very much!" They bowed and left.

"Those kids." The teacher crossed his hands and shook his head.

"I think they're pretty nice."

When they're not attacking me on a whim, at least.

"What makes you think so?"

"Those three are really tidy."

"I see, great observation. No wonder they call you the Great Mage. They're nice kids, pretty smart too, so I hope you can teach them a thing or two tomorrow."

"I'll try my best."

"Anyway, Mrs. Quorve, right? I'll call her right over."

"Thank you." The teacher stood up and left the room. Raphael leaned back on the sofa, looking up at the white ceiling. He didn't come here to teach, but they did say teaching others helps people learn. He could only go with the flow for now, while hoping that he still had enough time to improve his skills before the tournament.

“Raphael, been a while.”

“Had it been that long?”

Coming from the entrance were two teachers. One of them was Ms. Quorve, a tall, young female teacher who had a great talent for battles, his magic for combat professor. Normally, she taught students how to integrate magic into their fighting techniques, but Raphael’s style was far from normal, so she could hardly teach him anything.

Next to her was a slightly shorter, middle-aged man. He had a noteworthy mustache, and despite his age, his face looked quite young, yet he emitted an air of wisdom around him. Mr. Rodger, his history teacher, one that had a great knowledge of both history and cuisine, and was an avid eater.

“Yes, but mainly because you didn’t leave Proteorno immediately after graduation.”

Raphael had some things to sort out, so despite graduating in the sixth month, he hung around until the middle of the eighth. So, despite leaving university after two months, he technically only left Proteorno for a week.

“Ah, right, no wonder it feels weird. Anyway, sorry for bothering you so late.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. We’re in the presence of the Great Mage, after all.”

“Also, thanks a lot for the seafood. They’re delicious!”

“Professor?”

Mr. Rodger ignored Ms. Quorve’s questioning gaze and sat down across Raphael. Ms. Quorve brought her hand to her face, shaking her head as she sat down next to Mr. Rodger.

“So, I heard you need our help?” She returned to the matter at hand.

Raphael told the story, about how he got roped into the tournament. The two professors nodded gravely.

“This is terrible,” Mr. Rodger said.

“I agree,” Ms. Quorve added.

“Is it that terrible?” to Raphael, he wanted to do his best not to win, but to honor the preparation all his future rivals put into their training just to be able to challenge him. He didn’t mind going out in the first round, in fact, as long as he gave a good fight.

“Yes. It’s terrible because you’re asking us about this!” the two professors said at the same time.

“Uh, huh!?” Raphael reeled back from shock. The two facepalmed, their moves weirdly similar, and shook their heads.

“Jokes aside, I don’t know why you would ask a teacher you defeated to help with this,” Ms. Qourve said. Raphael had beaten his professor numerous times in the past. Being at the top of the class, no one could truly refute his position. He kind of, although not too terrible, sucked at theory and written tests, but most of the university class hovered around practical tests, like magic aptitude and fighting prowess.

There were some classes for those who didn’t want to dive too deep into the combat side of things, like the magic healing class, but Raphael’s ability allowed him to ace them all and put him as some kind of untouchable deity. For him to ask the teachers for help felt somewhat like an insult.

“The thing is, I don’t think I’ve integrated magic well enough into my movements.”

“...” The two stared at him.

“...”

“...”

“...?”

Raphael didn’t know what to do with the two stares. He didn’t destroy them that badly… probably.

Are they that mad?

“Anyway, it’s getting late. Let’s discuss this tomorrow.”

“Agree.”

“Come on, we’ll show you your room.” The two professors stood up, Raphael following behind them. They went out from the administration building, walking toward a large building located on the southwest. The academy complex was so large that walking between institutions took a bit of time. Buildings from the same institutions, high school, for example, tend to be closer to each other.

As night fell, the academy went into sleep mode. Hardly any people were outside. In the distance, buildings that acted as schools had most of their windows devoid of light, merging with the darkness of night, while the dorms next to them had light coming from some of the dorm rooms.

Some of those people were studying, others sleeping. School life was far behind him, but seeing his juniors studying filled with some sense of warmth. The cold night wind blew, the stars shining in the distance. Another calm night in the center of Proteorno. The two professors led him to the dorm for university students. It was a building located right next to the main university building, where the elites of the nation gathered. Its front entrance had a thin glass canopy as a roof, while the building itself had been built mostly from bricks. The building’s corner on the right side of the entrance had some metal walls covering a section of the brick walls, acting as support.

The interior had several potted plants along the side, giving a fresh feeling to the otherwise white wall and flooring.

“I’ll let you handle this, Mr. Rodger.”

“Leave it to me.”

“Enjoy your night, Raphael.”

“Thank you very much.”

Raphael then followed Mr. Rodger up to the third floor. He made his way through the familiar-looking hallways. They didn’t change one bit, much to his disappointment. Again, he couldn’t really tell what kind of change he was expecting, but the fact remained that nothing changed. They arrived in front of a door, one he was all too familiar with.

“... Here?”

“Yes, here. We evicted the occupant to make room for you.”

“Wait, no way… You’re joking, right?” Raphael gawked, not expecting this turn of events. Had this actually happened, he regretted not going for a hotel instead.

“I was, don’t need to take that too seriously,” Mr. Rodger waved his hand, much to Raphael’s relief.

“The current year doesn’t have as many people occupying the dorms as previous years. Why do you think we let you live here two months after graduation?”

“Because you kept calling me the great mage?”

“That’s certainly one of the reasons.” Rodger inserted the silver key and opened the door. Raphael gulped as he took a step in.

“... Wow…”

He stood at the entrance, looking into the familiar room. It had been tidied up, but nothing changed. The bed, the wardrobe, the study table, the window gave him a beautiful view of the surroundings, all of that didn’t change.

“Here, the keys,” Rodger handed him over the key. Even this stayed the same.

“It feels weird seeing how nothing changed.”

“You do know that you only left this place like a week ago, right?”

“Yeah, but still…”

“I’ll leave you to your contemplations. See you tomorrow.”

“Okay, thank you very much, and good night.”

“Night.” Mr. Rodger closed the door and left, his footsteps growing silent as he walked away. Raphael went to the door and locked it, before heading to the toilet to clean himself.

* ••

Carol lay in bed, fiddling with her phone. She waited for the news, slightly worried.

Did something happen?

Knowing him, something probably did happen.

It had been a few hours after he should have arrived, yet no news came. Restless, she decided to try calling him. It took him a few seconds before he picked up.

“Carol? Ah, sorry, forgot to tell you.”

“You probably should tell your parents that you’ve arrived.”

“Right, please wait.”

The call went silent for a moment. He soon returned.

“Told them. Haven’t replied, probably asleep.”

“Yeah. What happened anyway?”

“Got attacked the second I entered the academy.”

“Ah yes, the Great Mage, saying that so casually.”

“They’re just curious students. I’m sparring with them tomorrow.”

“Revenge?”

“Just teaching them a thing or two.”

“Not sure they’ll be able to learn anything.”

“At least they’ll stop bothering me, hopefully.”

“Haha, yeah…”

“So… what’s up?”

“Just a bit worried.”

“I see, thanks for worrying about me.”

“I’m your future wife, after all. Once we get married, I’m not letting you out of my sight,” Carol said with a smile, rolling on her bed.

“While I don’t necessarily dislike that, how about your job?”

“Emm…”

Rangers weren't a dangerous and busy job, not like how it was in the past. In this peaceful world, it was a stable job, although Rangers were prepared for the worst. Raphael’s ‘job’, despite how it looked, technically counted as freelance work, kind of. He didn’t actually get paid for the medicine tubes he made, he insisted on giving them away for free. Some grateful nobles and rich people had committed to supporting him, however, gifting him with grand sums of money. He could probably live at least half of the years of his life without doing anything, as long as he spent them carefully.

With that said, the sense of responsibility bounding Raphael created more issues for her relationship with Raphael than Carol’s job. Raphael’s reasoning for going to Proteorno was to train, not a vacation. Had Fraone continued flying, even the tournament wouldn’t have been enough to get him off his job.

She could only wish that he could get to the point where he not only created medicine with shorter times, but could also extend the duration of their durability. The sword necklace, the one she always wore outside, lasted three years, after all. Raphael had made it when he set off for Proteorno, gifting it to her and saying that it should at least last a couple of years.

It had been three years since, and Raphael had finished his university, yet the necklace stayed in its form, unchanged by time. It was now sitting on Carol’s bedside table. If Raphael’s medicine could last that long, his burden should be reduced. She could only hope.

“Haha… I’ll deal with it, somehow.”

“Okay. Hope you get better and graduate soon.”

Yeah… I hope I get better.

“It’s getting late, I think I should log off.”

“Yeah, me too. Good night.”

“Good night.” Carol turned off her phone, setting it down on the bedside table.

I too, hope, I can get stronger.

I’ll protect you to the end of time.