Luminous Novels Translations

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Chapter 99: The Little Griffin of the Arcane Noble House

Mina-rin of the Magic Family

Alias: The Little Griffin of the Magic Family.

In the game, she was a character that players had mixed opinions about, due to her personality: shy, prickly, and somewhat standoffish.

Some said that despite her fierce appearance, she was often treated as the weakest in the party, which somehow became part of her charm.

Others found her extremely annoying.

However, no one could deny that she was an irreplaceable member of the party.

“Well, she was the best magic-based character in terms of performance,” they would agree.

As expected from someone affiliated with the Magic Family.

Mina-rin was an exceptional mage, responsible for the party’s firepower, and her performance was far superior to that of other magic characters.

Her ability to learn magic skills was incredibly fast, and not only could she master standard magic, but she could also expand her abilities into both black and white magic systems.

Although her performance was not on par with characters specializing in black or white magic, it was still better than nothing.

Of course, with all her great power, there was one downside that accompanied her personality.

“Her stamina was dreadful.”

True to her backstory of devouring magical texts from a young age and training her magical abilities, Mina-rin was almost completely useless outside of magic.

Her athletic ability, in particular, was pitiful.

Her health points were a fraction of her mana, and her recovery speed was slow, with vulnerability in defense.

As a result, she often found herself retreating after unleashing a huge burst of magical firepower.

Players who obtained her often had to focus on boosting her health early on in the game.

That’s why I always used to say this.

“Everything comes down to stamina, and that’s true for mages too.”

“Since Yeon-ha-neul’s team isn’t done yet, we should wait at the restaurant first. It would be good to secure a spot.”

“Do whatever. Where are we going?”

“To the Innate Hall that overlooks Springlight Lake. I heard the view is great.”

“…That’s so far. My legs will hurt…”

“Think of it as a walk.”

The reason I repeatedly emphasized stamina to Yeon-ha-neul for five years was precisely this.

As a result, she became proficient not just in magic but also in physical arts.

She had the stamina to carry a heavy iron hammer in the form of a device without breaking a sweat.

She was exactly the kind of mage I had longed for in my previous life.

Unlike Mina-rin, with her terrible stamina.

I stared at her as she matched her pace with mine, following along.

“…”

“What, what is it? Why are you staring like that?”

“I was just wondering if you ever felt guilty flying around on your staff when others are walking.”

“Ugh… So what? What’s it to you how I get around!”

“It’s not that it matters, I just asked if it doesn’t make you feel guilty.”

“…No, not at all! Not guilty at all! If you’re jealous, just learn magic or something. Then you can fly too.”

“If you get used to relying on mana, it’ll make your body stiff. Anyway, it’s not an urgent situation, and it’s not that far, so we should walk.”

“Hmph, so full of yourself.”

“But it seems like mages are different after all. Yeon-ha-neul walks when it’s not far, saying it’s good for exercise.”

“…”

“So, did she become the top student because of that?”

“Tch… Fine! I’ll walk just for you, okay?”

Mentioning Yeon-ha-neul’s name made Mina-rin, who had a competitive streak with her, scrunch her face and get off her staff.

She quickly flicked her red hair that had slipped down over her shoulders.

“Who says I can’t walk… Let’s go! Are you going to keep standing there?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Mina-rin strode ahead confidently.

I followed her, chuckling as I matched her pace.

She had a surprisingly simple personality.

‘I need to get her to exercise somehow.’

Just like in the game, I was determined to improve Mina-rin’s poor stamina and level her up.

Of course, walking like this wouldn’t bring any immediate change, but small changes would accumulate over time, and she would eventually be unrecognizable.

On the other hand, since I made Yeon-ha-neul my childhood friend, her value had diminished somewhat compared to my previous life.

Yeon-ha-neul was completely superior to Mina-rin in both talent and skill.

In the game, she had been irreplaceable, but now, a suitable replacement had emerged.

“If there were players who hated Mina-rin, they would probably just focus on leveling up Yeon-ha-neul and skip Mina-rin altogether,” I thought.

I completely understood that.

But this was the real world.

Unlike the game, there was no limit to the number of characters you could take into a battle.

The more, the better.

Two was always better than one.

That’s why I had recruited Mina-rin as a companion.

More than anything else…

[Personal Information]

Name: Mina-rin (Female, 17)

Alias: The Little Griffin of the Magic Family

Affiliation: Geumgang Academy

[Possessed Gift]

The Eye of the Sage

[Physical Abilities]

Health: 43
Strength: 41
Endurance: 47
Agility: 45
Mana: 78
Luck: 36
Remaining Points: 0

Mina-rin’s gift, “The Eye of the Sage,” allowed her to analyze phenomena made of mana.

This set her apart from Yeon-ha-neul.

There was no reason to give up on her.

“What? Why are you staring now?”

“Just because your eyes are pretty.”

“…What?! What did you just say?”

“We’re here. Let’s go inside.”

I looked away from her status window.

I pulled her, who was stammering, into the Innate Hall.

It was crowded in the first floor’s dining area, probably because it was lunchtime.

“What do you want to eat?”

“I don’t like waiting in line, so I’ll just get something quick.”

“Alright, let’s do that.”

At this rate, we might not even get a seat.

I nodded at Mina-rin’s suggestion and ordered from a spot where the line wasn’t long.

The food arrived almost immediately after ordering.

With trays in hand, we looked for a place to sit.

Fortunately, we found a good spot.

‘Nice view.’

It was a window-side seat overlooking Springlight Lake.

Outside the window, the shimmering lake and the springtime flower petals floating on the water caught my eye.

The scenery was so beautiful that students were even taking pictures.

In the fall, red autumn leaves would drift on the surface, which also sounded lovely.

‘I bet Yeon-ha-neul would love this.’

Thanks to City Eun’s helpful information.

I sat down contentedly, ready to enjoy the view.

Then, just as I was about to relax…

‘Hmm?’

Mina-rin sat down next to me and placed her tray on the table.

I turned to look at her.

She was glaring at me, her face slightly flushed.

“What’s up? Why the intense look?”

“There’s a seat in front of you. Why sit next to me?”

“I’ll just say it upfront, there’s no special reason. I just don’t want to sit awkwardly next to you when your friends arrive later.”

“Oh, okay.”

The empty seat in front seemed a bit lonely, but her reasoning made sense.

Yeon-ha-neul, being shy, would prefer to sit next to someone familiar, rather than next to Mina-rin, whom she barely knew.

I had to consider her feelings, too.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for her to sit next to me, but…

‘It’s better to sit by the window.’

Sitting next to me, like Mina-rin, wouldn’t give her a good view of the scenery.

I took my time eating lunch with Mina-rin, making small talk, while waiting for her to admire the lake when she arrived.

Before long, she and Go-eun-bi finally showed up.

“Ah, Yeon-ha, Eun-bi, over here! I got a good spot, right? The view is amazing…”

“Why, Yeon-woo?”

“Wow! This is as beautiful as they say it is in the spring! So pretty! But why are you both sitting so close together? That’s a bit odd?”

“…”

Yeon-ha-neul tilted her head at me, calling my name sharply.

Go-eun-bi’s words carried a sharp tone.

I wondered if I had done something wrong.

I couldn’t figure it out, no matter how hard I tried.

Meanwhile, Mina-rin, uncharacteristically, greeted the two with warmth.

“Hi there! So, you’re Yeon-woo’s friends. We met yesterday, right? Nice to see you. I’m in the same class as Yeon-woo, sit next to him in class, and we both became the representatives. Let’s get along well.”

“…”

Yeon-woo, Yeon-woo, Yeon-woo…

Mina-rin, who had always addressed me in a harsh manner, now casually called my name in a friendly way.

Was she trying to save face in front of the two of them?

Did she have that kind of consideration?

But, to be honest, hearing her call me like that was… a bit uncomfortable.

“You two seem really close?”

“…”

Then Yeon-ha-neul’s gaze.


Yeon-woo had promised to introduce his friend, whom he had become close with since they were in the same class.

It was the girl he had met on the way to the faculty office yesterday, the one who had been standing by his side.

“They look pretty close, huh?”

“…”

She had long, red hair and yellow eyes, which seemed almost genetically altered by mana. Though her appearance was a little intimidating, she was undeniably beautiful, and her background was just as solid.

She hailed from the Magic Family, one of the most prestigious families in the magic community.

Mina-rin, the Little Griffin of the Magic Family.

She was someone with a connection to me as well.

If I had to categorize it, it would be on the bad side.

‘She’s doing this on purpose.’

During the final entrance exam, Yeon-ha-neul had been ambushed by Mina-rin, who tried to steal her exam sheet.

It had been a dark night, and Mina-rin had almost cast a spell that could have killed her. Yeon-ha-neul had been furious at the time.

Rather than just submitting, she fought back with all her might.

From the start, Mina-rin was not someone who could be defeated easily with a gentle approach.

To overpower her, you had to be rough and relentless.

“I’ll take this. You really gathered a lot.”

“Ah…”

After immobilizing her, Yeon-ha-neul took all the exam sheets that Mina-rin had on her.

Even though Mina-rin begged her not to take them, Yeon-ha-neul ignored her pleas.

Since she had attacked first, Yeon-ha-neul didn’t feel any guilt about it.

“Please don’t take it…”

However, from the perspective of the one who had been robbed, it was difficult to say how she would feel.

People are rational but irrational at the same time, and ultimately, they tend to be self-centered.

Mina-rin could very well hate her for this.

In short, their meeting had not been a good one for either side.

But then, thanks to Yeon-woo, they found themselves meeting again.

‘I didn’t expect to become friends with Yeon-woo…’

Yeon-ha-neul felt awkward about it all.

Even though it had been an act of self-defense, she had still knocked out Yeon-woo’s friend before they even really got to know each other. This was a huge problem in forming a relationship from the get-go.

She had wanted to become close, but things had gone wrong from the first step.

Moreover, Mina-rin didn’t seem to like her very much.

The proof was in her words:

“Do we look that close? We did become friends pretty quickly. Yeon-woo and I are in the same class, plus we’re both representatives, so there’s a lot we have in common.”

“…”

“Are you just going to stand there? Come on, sit down. Sit in front of me and Yeon-woo.”

Mina-rin, slyly taking the seat next to Yeon-woo, provoked Yeon-ha-neul.

It seemed like she was intentionally highlighting her closeness with him, even giving his arm a playful tap for emphasis.

Yeon-ha-neul’s blood boiled as she watched this.

But if she reacted angrily, she would just look like the unreasonable one.

More than anything, she didn’t want to ruin her relationship with her.

“Yeon-ha, I think she’s doing this on purpose. Want me to say something to her?”

“…No. Let’s just sit down, Eun-bi.”

Yeon-woo had introduced her as a “friend.”

From his perspective as her childhood friend, Yeon-ha-neul knew that Yeon-woo was content with the relationships he had and wasn’t one to actively try to expand his circle.

For him to have befriended someone shortly after starting school was unusual.

“Yeon-ha, let me introduce you. This is Mina…”

“We met during the entrance exam, didn’t we? It’s been a while since then. Hi, I’m Mina-rin.”

“…Yeon-ha-neul.”

Something was off.

Just like when he introduced his other friends, Go-eun-bi and Yong-hae-rang, it felt like there was a reason for this.

‘If Yeon-woo would just tell me why… I could help, too…’

Sadly, Yeon-woo probably wouldn’t reveal the reason.

He had always kept secrets like this for five years ago.

Even so, Yeon-ha-neul chose not to pry into the secrets he was keeping.

She was curious, disappointed, and sometimes even wondered if he didn’t trust her enough, but ultimately, she trusted him.

She believed he wouldn’t abandon her.

And that someday, he would tell her the truth.

“Well, I’m sorry about what happened back then. We were both just doing our best for the exam…”

“Let’s forget about what happened during the entrance exam.”

“…”

“It was something both sides were involved in, right? I think it’ll just get in the way of getting to know each other if we keep bringing it up. I want to get along with you.”

“Wow… Yeon-ha, you’re so mature.”

“…You were even worse than I, actually. But fine, I’ll let it go. I was just about to say that too.”

Yeon-woo didn’t want to interfere with Mina-rin’s plans.

In fact, he wanted to help her as much as he could.

What he wanted was exactly what she wanted, so he had no choice but to support her in the way she understood his wishes.

Even if things were awkward, she decided she would at least maintain a cordial relationship with Mina-rin.

But still…

‘…This is annoying.’

Her feelings were far from pleasant.

Everything about Mina-rin rubbed her the wrong way.

The thought of Mina-rin, who was prettier and more refined than her, spending an entire year in the same class with Yeon-woo and working with him as a representative, made her uncomfortable.

She seemed to embody everything that was the opposite of herself.

Aside from the fact that they both came from magical families.

Yeon-ha-neul and Mina-rin were completely different in atmosphere, personality, tendencies, and even birthright.

Yeon-ha-neul was calm, while Mina-rin was fierce.

Yeon-ha-neul was shy, while Mina-rin was sharp-tongued.

Yeon-ha-neul was introverted, while Mina-rin was outgoing.

Yeon-ha-neul came from an orphanage, while Mina-rin was a direct descendant of the Magic Family.

It was hard not to compare them.

Yeon-ha-neul had a strong feeling that, for the rest of her life, she would always be compared to Mina-rin.

And she was sure that Mina-rin felt the same way.

Of course, for Yeon-ha-neul, the world’s opinions didn’t matter much.

What mattered to her was Yeon-woo’s opinion.

As long as he acknowledged her, that was all that mattered.

‘A mage like me should be enough…’

In that sense, she felt competitive toward Mina-rin, someone in the same magical class.

She didn’t want to lose to her.

“Wow, this is delicious.”

“Really? Then you can have mine.”

“What? Don’t you want it?”

“I’m full. I’ll give it to Yeon-woo. Enjoy.”

“…”

Yeon-ha-neul couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable seeing Mina-rin acting so familiar with Yeon-woo, teasing him with the dessert.

‘She’s been saying Yeon-woo’s name over and over… How long have they known each other for her to be this familiar?’

They even had their elbows touching.

Yeon-ha-neul felt irritated as she watched Mina-rin offer the dessert to Yeon-woo.

And she was even more upset when Yeon-woo accepted it so readily.

‘Some people just have no idea…’

Yeon-woo was such an oblivious fool.

As she was thinking this, something unexpected happened.

“Yeon-ha, you should try one too.”

“…Huh?”

After Yeon-woo took the dessert from Mina-rin, he immediately placed it on Yeon-ha-neul’s tray.

She was glaring at him, not expecting this at all, and she was startled by the sudden gesture.

Her bunny ears perked up in surprise.

“I think this will be just to your taste.”

“…”

“Wow, Yeon-woo is so sweet! But hey, Yeon-woo, don’t I get anything?”

“How about some fries?”

“Isn’t that a bit too much of a temperature difference?”

“…I’ll buy you a drink later.”

“Okay, cool!”

“…”

Yeon-ha-neul looked down at the panna cotta on her tray as she listened to the casual chatter between Yeon-woo and Go-eun-bi.

The creamy pudding, made with cream, sugar, and gelatin, was topped with fruit.

She blinked several times as she stared at it.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to eat it?”

“If you’re not going to, I’ll eat it! Thanks, I’ll enjoy it!”

“No, I’ll eat it.”

Yeon-woo asked in his gentle voice.

Go-eun-bi exaggeratedly moved as if she were going to snatch the panna cotta, making Yeon-ha-neul snap back to her senses.

She quickly grabbed the dish.

Using her dessert spoon, she scooped some panna cotta and brought it to her mouth.

“How is it? Delicious, right?”

“Yeah, just the way I like it. Thanks.”

Yeon-woo chuckled.

A smile spread across Yeon-ha-neul’s face.

For a while, she exchanged glances with him, sitting by the window, with the light from the Springlight Lake streaming in.

Then, she turned her gaze toward Mina-rin, who was sitting next to him.

‘See?’

Mina-rin, who had been watching the whole thing, furrowed her brows as she muttered, “I wanted to eat it too… Tch.”


“Han-byeol… Are you really going to listen to this?”

“Han-byeol, this is a bit much…”

“Why? Doesn’t it seem fine to me?”

Han-byeol’s timetable was all over the place.

The gaps between his classes were long, or on some days, he only had one class, while on other days was overloaded.

The problem wasn’t just that. He had chosen courses outside of his main focus on swordsmanship.

Not just one, but several.

“Introduction to Memorization 1, Basic Shield Techniques 1, Introduction to Basic Magic 1, Beginner Spear Techniques 1, Beginner Archery 1, Introduction to Alchemy 1… Han-byeol, taking so many diverse classes like this is not a good idea. Specialized courses require focus, and you shouldn’t try to cover everything at once. We’re first-year students, so it’s better to focus on completing your own major first.”

“Yeah, that’s true. If you take these, you’ll end up being a jack of all trades, master of none. You won’t even get proper rest throughout the semester. If you want to take courses in multiple fields, it’s better to wait until you’re more used to life at the academy. For now, let’s focus on your strongest area, swordsmanship.”

It seemed like it would be best to completely redo his schedule.

Sighing quietly, Risa and Dr. Gun decided to focus on helping Han-byeol redesign his timetable.

Unaware of their concerns, Han-byeol casually replied:

“I can do it all, though.”

Han-byeol said this with his usual carefree attitude.

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