Ch.89The NPC Who Went to School (4)

“Get lost. I don’t want to waste my time with the likes of you.”

I had been mistaken. I’d been making an utterly absurd assumption.

*Crack!*

Rey’s physical training, Jack’s combat training, and even monster hunting for a brief period.

Until now, I never thought I could fight directly, but I believed I had become a little stronger after obtaining a gun—a weapon that suited me perfectly.

I don’t know what method Jack used, but since the day the assassins swore loyalty to me, my physical condition had improved incomparably. I was convinced that he had made me stronger using something he was hiding from us.

‘This is truly what they mean by delusions having limits!!’

Rey is strong. Gor is strong. And Jack goes without saying. But I am not.

I merely acquired an expensive weapon, gaining a “means to fight,” but when faced with a true powerhouse, I end up like this.

Due to my uselessly small amount of mana, I have a constitution that can sense strong magical power. Because of this constitution, I realize the truth.

The person before me, before us, is no ordinary person but the “recommended admission interviewer” of this prestigious academy.

A “true” powerhouse like Jack, Gor, or Rey.

*Tremble tremble tremble.*

My fingertips shake uncontrollably, and my molars feel like they might shatter. As I watch the woman instantly filling the entire space with bluish mana, pressuring us, I even hallucinate that a massive monster is opening its maw toward me.

And then I finally realized. I had never fought against a “true powerhouse” before.

‘Ugh!! Jack, Jack trusted me…!!’

He entrusted Ira’s safety to me, believing she would be safe with me—his precious little sister whom he loves dearly. Yet faced with this tremendous magical power before me, I can do nothing.

It feels so unfair and pathetic that I could almost cry, but my mind races even faster.

‘A way to escape. At least for Ira. A way to get her safely out of here right now. Which would be faster—opening the door behind us or evading when that magical power attacks? A way to alert Jack. The method via Aigram failed. No, my coming here was the failure! With this level of magical power, could Gor…? Wouldn’t Rey sense it? No, first I need to…!!’

*Click!!*

Forcing my trembling hands to move, I grip the gun barrel, and the tears that had welled up in my eyes overflow uncontrollably. How many times have I shed tears like this—something I never experienced in all my years traveling with him? I feel utterly pathetic.

Nevertheless, I can at least look at my opponent with hostility, and if they don’t know what weapon I possess, I might create a momentary opening. Then, I could at least help Ira escape.

As I try to forcibly twist my frozen body to draw my gun—

*Squeeze.*

“?!”

“Please stop. You’re hurting Ragni!”

“……”

Ira casually grabs my hand as I try to twist it to hold the gun, stopping me.

In this tremendous magical pressure, Ira seems completely unfazed, even raising her eyebrows firmly as she confronts the woman.

“I’m the one enrolling, so why are you bullying Ragni! And I’m going to take the test! My brother said I’m smart! Ragni said I’m smart too! Rey said I’m super, super super! Incredibly strong! So I’m not leaving, and I’m going to take the test properly!! I won’t get lost!!”

“……”

I understand that Ira’s hand gripping my arm is trembling for a different reason than mine.

Not from fear, but from anger and irritation at the other person’s actions.

She believes in what her brother Jack and the rest of us told her. Those tiny hands are trembling with irritation and anger toward someone who she thinks is genuinely dismissing her.

And as soon as Ira finishes speaking—

*Clap!*

With the sound of hands clapping, the bluish air around us returns to normal, and the pressure from the magical power completely disappears.

“Puha!!”

And I realize I had been holding my breath, unable to breathe, as my body automatically starts gulping in oxygen.

I had originally opened my mouth to confront her immediately, but my mouth and throat prioritize filling my empty lungs with air.

“Hmm. The child has more potential than the guardian—how amusing.”

“Haa! Haa! *Inhale!!* You!! Is this what you call an interview?! Call your superior, no, the headmaster!”

“Ha! Who do you think you are?”

“You’re in an academy where children are entrusted to you, and you pull this kind of stunt on a child and her guardian?! What are you so proud of?!”

*Click!*

Whether the opponent is a true powerhouse or not doesn’t matter. Jack said it: a bullet to the head makes everyone equal.

It’s a fast ticket to the afterlife that treats everyone equally, and unless the opponent is genuinely prepared for it from the start, the first strike always wins.

I’m seriously protesting. To clearly show my genuine anger, I draw my gun and aim directly at her head. The woman tilts her head.

As expected, she doesn’t know what this weapon is.

“What’s that? A cigarette? Not a pipe type, but cylindrical? The academy is a non-smoking area, though?”

“If you don’t want a hole in your head, call your superior and the headmaster right now. This is not a joke.”

“Huh, this is ridiculous. Do you know where you—”

“Shut up. You’ve messed with something you absolutely shouldn’t have.”

If it were just me, this would be a meaningless incident.

I don’t want to die, but my life would have ended if Jack hadn’t taken me in.

That’s why I have no intention of letting someone who threatened Ira—whom he genuinely cherishes and loves—off easily, nor do I have any reason to.

If she tries to emit magical power like before, I’ll immediately create a third eye hole in her forehead.

With that resolve, I place my finger on the trigger and glare at her. Beside me, Ira tugs at my collar again.

“Ragni! Don’t do it. I need to enroll!”

“…Ira. Remember what I told you before about social status? This is happening because you, we, are commoners. People like this need to be properly punished, or others will suffer too.”

“Because you? Because you’re commoners, that’s why I tested you like this?”

The middle-aged woman snickers and reaches into her drawer, taking out a round orb that she prepares to throw in my direction.

*Bang!!*

“…What is that weapon?”

“There won’t be a next time. I’ll kill you.”

I don’t need to stand by and watch something I don’t recognize, so I immediately fire a shot that deliberately misses her head. She stares at me with wide eyes, as if she’s seen something completely unexpected after witnessing the power of this weapon.

“What an extraordinary weapon. The speed at which mana gathers momentarily, and the power of its discharge is on par with top-tier wind magic.”

“Oh? Since you’re good with a pen, you seem to know about such things? Then you must understand what this means right now?”

“Ha! Fine. This orb is just a mana measuring device developed by our research team. It’s not the threatening tool you’re so worried about.”

“Prove it.”

I’ve been fooled once. There won’t be a second time.

Conveying that meaning with my glare, she begins to push mana into the orb in her hand.

“Look, when I put mana into it like this, the orb glows. When I stop putting mana in, the light disappears. See? Do you believe me now?”

After seeing the orb glow brightly for a moment, I speak without taking my eyes off her.

“Ira.”

“Yes!”

With my gun still aimed at the woman’s forehead, I call Ira, who immediately approaches the woman’s table, takes the orb, and scurries back to me.

How could such an intelligent and clever child be the subject of malicious rumors about being deficient? I really want to put a hole in her head.

*Sparkle.*

“……”

“Now will you return the orb?”

After confirming with a sidelong glance that the orb glowed very faintly, I called Ira again. She promptly placed the orb on the woman’s table and returned to my side.

“The interview is over. Get out.”

“You crazy bitch. What’s your name?”

“What good would knowing it do? Could you do anything if you knew?”

“When people talk to each other, it’s polite to exchange names first!”

“……”

I wasn’t particularly looking for politeness, but Ira scolded the woman using the manners I had taught her. The middle-aged woman smirked.

“You’ll learn my name soon enough. If you still want to put a hole in my head with that weapon then, go ahead and try. Well, now that I’ve seen your first attack, the next one won’t work.”

“Bullshit. If I see you on the street, consider yourself dead. I’m holding back because of Ira’s enrollment. Ira.”

“Yes! Ma’am! Goodbye!”

She’s such a perceptive child.

Ira immediately bowed to the middle-aged woman I was still pointing my gun at, then quickly walked out, opening the door wide and waiting outside. I backed away with my gun still aimed at her.

I’m ready to shoot if that woman shows any suspicious movement, but she just starts looking at the documents on her desk as if she’s finished her business. We close the door.

“…I’m sorry, Ira.”

“No! Thank you, Ragni! You got angry for me, right?”

“……”

That’s part of it, but there was also a futile stubbornness because I felt too pathetic to back down.

If I said that, I’d feel even more miserable, so I just pat Ira’s head. She smiles brightly and immediately starts heading back the way we came.

Is this also because she’s Jack’s sister? She doesn’t even get lost and walks so well.

As we walk for a while—

“Oh my, your interview took a long time. How was it?”

“How can I meet the headmaster here?”

“Pardon?”

“It was annoying!”

“…Pardon?”

We encountered the woman who had guided us earlier, now leading other children, and I poured out my complaints.

*

“I’m going to file a proper complaint later.”

“Ma’am! Goodbye!”

“Ah, ma’am… Ah, yes. Please get home safely.”

After seeing off the blue-haired beauty and the small, cute girl who had expressed unbelievable complaints and protests, I finished escorting them and guided the others.

These were recommended admission candidates like the girl called Ira. I led them one by one into the staff room entrance and quietly closed the door. Then—

*Creak.*

I immediately reopened the door and entered myself.

Although the children and their guardians had just gone in, only one person—the middle-aged woman—was visible.

“Headmaster.”

“Hmm? Oh. What is it?”

“Did you personally interview that red-haired child just now? The one called Ira?”

“Hmm? What are you talking about?”

“…What exactly did you do to make her guardian so furious?”

I understand that you dislike recommended students from Aigram, but this is the first time something like this has happened. For the headmaster to personally try to drive someone away, you must have really disliked them, or perhaps…

“Ha. No. Why do you think I interviewed her personally?”

“Emitting intimidating magical power at the guardian, telling them to get lost, even making personal attacks—who else in this academy would do such things besides you?!”

“…Hmm, I wasn’t that harsh.”

“Yes, you were!! If you wanted to drive them away, you could have just failed them in the test!”

Thinking she had been completely exposed, this sly middle-aged woman just raised the corners of her mouth without even making excuses, staring at the orb in front of her.

“Don’t tell me you measured her mana with that?!!”

“Hmm? Ah. Well, that’s what happened.”

“You’re, you’re insane!! What did you do to that child?!”

“Would you like to try it too?”

“Headmaster, have you really lost your mind?! There’s an examiner coming in a week, and you’re trying to knock me out too?!”

This is absurd. I understand why the other party was so furious. If she measured mana with that thing, the child could have collapsed weakly… Wait, hold on.

“Wait a minute. Did you really measure that child’s mana with that?”

“Yes. I did. You met her, right?”

“……”

“Hahah. She’s quite something, truly exceptional.”

The orb on the table.

The academy’s special mana measuring device made from a [Superior Spirit Core].

Anyone with mana can put their power into it, but it requires tremendous magical power to make it glow.

It’s a vicious object that would make even ordinary magicians—even those at the gold rank as adventurers—collapse before making it glow. And a child who put mana into such a thing walked out normally?

Even complaining that she was annoyed?

Did she perhaps stop halfway? Did she cut it off, thinking it was consuming too much mana?

No, children of that age who want to enter the academy wouldn’t have such self-control…

“She made it glow properly.”

“…What?”

“She made this core glow.”

“That’s a lie.”

“Why else would I have called her here? Besides, her guardian was quite a monster too.”

“Don’t tell me you made the guardian try it too?!”

“No, but despite taking my pressure head-on, they didn’t collapse—they could still move.”

“That’s a lie!!”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

All the complaints from their side seem more plausible, and everything the headmaster is saying sounds like nonsense.

But the headmaster just adjusts her glasses, lifts the orb, and continues speaking without erasing her smile.

“Forty percent of a superior core’s mana. At twelve years old. Hehehe. It seems my successor has been determined.”

“…Insane. My God.”

The guide for recommended students and the headmaster’s secretary feels her heart pounding in her legs at the headmaster’s words.

[Within the next three years, a new era will dawn.]

The words left by the Spirit King, who has now disappeared from the academy, came to mind.