Quest of Automata King

Burnout

‘No matter how hard it is, as long as you keep trying and put your hearts into it, there are nothing that you can’t do.’

Mui have heard about this advice dozens of time already. Starting from his foster mother, until the adults he knew from the village. Everyone would always says it once or twice for the little kids, at least to give them hope, so in the future they would strive to become better version of themselves.

Just like any other kid, Mui also grasped that advice with his heart, believing it would take him through the difficult times in his life. But today he learnt that reality is much more difficult than words that are simply spout by adults.

After that time Emmellia helping her, Mui decided that he would started to give it all for every other lessons that comes after. Either the lessons that have connection with magic ability, or the one that doesn’t.

Problem is, all of the instructors are behaving at the same principle. They thought that everyone in the classroom already know the basic and fundamentals of each subjects that they are teachings.

It’s rarely for him to see any professor that loosen up a little bit, and notice that there are certain person that have never learnt about this before. Not even one that kind enough to review what they have learnt from their previous grade.

At Chiro’s Art of Illussion lesson, he is struggle to dwelve into his partner’s mind using mana, where it’s supposed to be the basic of illussion’s advantage. Mui need to learn more about how to control mana, but at the same time, he also have to attend other classes that focused more on his physical ability.

And to be honest, he is not any fitter than a sheep in a barn.

Other than magic ability, every nobles are expected to have a quailifed dueling ability. What is that mean, is they they have to be able to defend themselves, at least in a one versus one battle.

Each of the students are given their weapon of choice. Short sword, long sword, rapier, and halbert. Too bad for Mui, since his body is small and his muscle is weak, weapons other than short sword will make him stumble over himself.

It doesn’t get any better at the archery lesson. Turns out, bows are much heavier than what he used to think, not even counting that standing steady, holding arrow, and aiming will used a lot of physical ability than what he currently able to do.

That day, the lesson ended with a mock duel against class partners. Mui unsurprisingly ended with a utter defeat for him.

Days come and go. He have much to learn and train, but the amount of homework feels like never ended in the first place.

The difficulties to manage time between lesson, homework and self study are started to take an effect of his body. His muscle are strained, and his eyes keep getting heavier each time he awake.

What waiting for him in the end is a stay at school’s infirmary.

In the middle of magic lesson with Otto, Mui suddenly colapse. He have fever, and quickly rushed to the school’s healthcare. When he awake, he can see face of headmaster who sit beside him.

“Ah! Look like he awake! Thank you for the mandrake medicine, Professor Vina,” said Oliver. The tall infirmary staff who always wear veil to cover her entire body doesn’t answer, instead, she just turn her body and walk away like a ghost.

“Professor Oliver...? What happened...?” Mui trying to get up, but suddenly his head got struck by dizzyness.

“Take it easy boy,” said Oliver. “You’re a hardworker one, but any stem will break easily if the tree let mold growing on them.”

Mui can only look at him with questioning eye.

“That’s mean no matter how strong anyone is, fatigue will easily brought him down. So does with you, I heard that you’re visiting library a lot previous month?”

“Yes sir, I was looking for study material,” replied Mui.

“You’re a hard working and dilligent student. That is great, but be honest with me, how much sleeps you got these past weeks?”

Mui hesitant to answer. “Only four to five hours sir.”

Oliver letting out a sigh. “You have take more rest, you know that?” he looked at him, with gentle eyes and words that Mui only knew from his foster mother at the orphanage.

To be frank, Mui also wanted to rest and not being pushed by homeworks and studies, but he knows that he is fall behind compared to every other students.

“I already get the problem, and it’s my fault too, for not considering changes for the new first years. You see, I wished that in the future this school could take more students than just nobles and rich people, and you’re the trial for our curriculum.” Oliver then get up from his chair. “First, I’m going to held the meeting for every teacher, and discuss how we will deal with your situation. For now, you just need to rest, Professor Vina will nurse you until you get healthy again.”

After he said that Professor Oliver head outside of the infirmary. In exchange, now is Prof Vina that come inside.

Other than the fact that she never shown her face to the public, Professor Vina wearing a long nurse dress. Mui doesn’t know if there is correlation with magic or if it is just his hallucination, but when she letting out cold aura.

She brought a tray with black pills and glass of water, there is note written there: ‘finish everything.’

“Um... Professor, what is this?” asked Mui, but nothing comes out of her mouth. Instead, she lift her index finger and pointing the note, as if intensifying what Mui supposed to do.

Don’t have any other choice, he takes those five pills and put it into his mouth. Then with a glass of water, he gulp them down his throat.

Unluckily for him, the water slipped into the other side of his neck, ended up with him being chocked.

Mui’s cough filled up the empty infirmary. And while looking at that kid, there is only one word coming from Vina.

“Idiot...” she said, with cold hoarse voice.

***

After talking with Oliver, Mui felt that the amount of work in his study is starting to decrease. Homeworks are now once every two weeks, instead of once every week. The teachers are also started to explain basic things just in case other students are forget or never heard it in the first place.

This small improvement in the end manage to help his rest cycle. Although that is just mean extra one hour for his sleep, Mui is now healthier than ever.

But not every teachers are wanted to cooperate with it, especially the subjects that have nothing to do with magic, like the Battle and Duelling lesson.

Right now, Class F is standing at the training ground with leather protective that has always been the staple of this lesson. They are lining side-to-side, and facing their opponents. Class A.

“Listen up cadets!” the instructor shouting. He is a big brawny men, wearing metal armor, and have his right eye covered with an eyepatch. Trace of wound can be seen on his blind eye toward his cheek, aparently he used to be soldier before retire and asked to teach at this academy.

“Weeks ago headmaster is gathering us and asking to tone down the intensity of our study! Said that we should give every student the same chance to grow of their own! Load of bull I said!” shout him angrily.

“In battle your opponents will never wait for you to get stronger! No! He want you stay weak, and strike at that moment! You have to train everyday! You have to push your limit! EVERY! DAY!”

Mui looking left and right of his classmate. There is a certain look of fear among them, and some are also become sweaty. Those are can’t be helped, since they are facing against the best class of the first year. Class A.

Mui himself know that he is in trouble, because right in front of him, is Challender is gaving straight at his eye, letting out a killing aura that is very deathly.

“And that’s why, today we will conduct a mock war! Not just mock duel like how you all have been doing until now, I want everyone of you to show how capable you are! Either it is at teamwork, or individual!” said Instructor.

Mui swallow his saliva. He can see smirk on Challender face, showing that he will enjoying this battle.

“For this battle, we will conduct with a capture-the-flag rule! Simply get the flag of your enemy to back to your base, and you’ll score the point of that round! All of you are free to use any technique, but no magic! Those tricks will rot out your brain!” shout him again.

“All of you have fifteen minutes to prepare your strategy before I literaly send you to hell! Now Dismissed!”