Please Stop!!

Maris is a place that transcends borders and races.

To practice this ideology, this academy always advocated equality and fairness, but ironically, the application of this concept was limited to each other’s origins.

The leadership of this world is steeped in the arrogance that superiority and inferiority between them are determined from birth.

The incident that occurred right after the entrance ceremony stemmed from an attempt to overturn such a system in a short period.

“Cut out that nonsense!! Anyone can see that this fight was that child’s victory! Are your eyes just for decoration!?”

So the current friction is inevitable.

The oppressed class that has been constantly suppressed.

Feeling revulsion towards those who are even suppressing the victory of the boy who would become their spokesperson, and exerting resistance.

“Y-yeah, that’s right. Anyone could see that that Dale kid won the fight just now!”

Students from the regular class standing up one by one, starting with that shout.

Until now, they had been suppressed by their position and power, but at this moment, they were all united and showing courage.

“Stop pushing it! What’s the reason for not acknowledging the result of this fight to such an extent!?”

“If you were going to raise objections, you should have done it from the beginning. Why are you arguing about it now after watching it all the way to the end!?”

Of course, it can’t be said that there was no fear at all.

Their voices were trembling loudly, and there were still students hesitating to stand up.

But even that confidence was igniting as more students expressed sympathy.

Since they have been suppressed for so long, this situation would be seen as an opportunity for them.

For the first time, those who don’t have defeated those who have…

They wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity that might never come again.

“Ha! This is why commoners are…”

“Do you think this is some barbaric street fight you do?”

Of course, the nobles would find that cute too.

Daring to oppose them without knowing their place, can you really take responsibility for that attitude?

“This is strictly a duel. A match held under fair rules!”

“But what did that commoner boy do? He not only took the top seat using cowardly means, but also did something ridiculous in actual combat. He kept stalling for time to pull off that trick even after his bracelet’s durability was all used up!”

“Do you think anything will change by claiming such a forcibly pushed result!?”

“It’s you guys who are being unreasonable!!!”

“You keep saying commoner this, commoner that, but do you think the kids you’re protecting are any different!?”

Of course, they are confident that their claim is unreasonable, having watched the entire fight.

Therefore, the commoner students would desperately refute them, but coincidentally, I couldn’t view this situation positively.

Because my past experiences were telling me.

No matter how unjust their treatment was.

If you leave the solution to cover it up to impulsive attitudes, everything goes wrong.

“That’s right! The Jogret family is a war criminal family to begin with!”

Damn.

It’s good that they refuted, but this has gone too deep.

The reorganization of the baseball club failed in the first place because of such hasty decisions.

“War criminals… What on earth…”

But was the effect that certain?

At that cry, the atmosphere of the noble students who had been shouting until now suddenly stiffened, and soon the corners of the mouth of the student who had first refuted curled upwards.

“Why, did I say something wrong? It’s a fact everyone here knows. How many people the Jogret family killed in the war from the beginning!”

“They would kill enemies and allies alike for victory. All for their own merit!!”

“The son of my hometown’s lord was also said to have died caught up in the Jogret’s operation. Regardless of being noble or not, it was that girl’s father who killed them!”

Students adding more strength to that opinion.

The level has reached beyond the limit, but even now, we might be able to stop this overheated scene.

It’s still just kids fighting.

A kids’ fight that adults can sufficiently restrain.

So in this place where many teachers are gathered, it should be possible to control…

-Crackle.

…What the hell.

What is that bastard doing now?

“Teacher Saine!”

“Yes, I saw it too.”

Teacher Lloyd, who noticed the spark flying from the noble seats just like me.

The moment we noticed that, our bodies quickly moved to block the flash of light coming from the noble seats.

Lightning Bomber.

A technique that explodes high-temperature current at the point of impact, strictly classified as a ‘lethal magic’.

-Boom!

I ran straight to deflect that attack with my hand, and the current spreading from it was blocked by the shield Teacher Lloyd deployed.

Fortunately, there was no damage to the students behind it.

But what’s important now is not that there are no injuries.

“I understand the sentiment, but don’t you think it’s too much to lay hands on students no matter what?”

I shook off the tingling sensation in my hand and glared at the figure standing on the opposite side with his hand stretched out.

One of the teachers sitting in the seats where the nobles sit.

The faint spark lingering in his hand showed that the previous magic originated from his hand.

“Hoho, I apologize for this. I merely shot it towards an empty seat as a warning, but it seems I’ve caused a misunderstanding with the teachers on that side.”

Ah, yes. That face is memorable.

He was definitely one of the guys who gave me a hard time when I first came to this academy, saying things about being from a commoner background.

A guy who exudes a strong sense of elitism based on his position, evident at a glance.

“…Misunderstanding or not, for a teacher to use magic against students. Can you handle this?”

Whatever the case, on the surface, he committed the act of ‘a teacher using magic on students’.

With thousands of witnesses, it’s unavoidable that a disciplinary committee will be convened.

“That too is something I must endure. As a teacher, in a situation where I must reprimand those who have become students, how could I pass without taking action?”

Nevertheless, there was composure in the opponent.

As if there was room to avoid responsibility for what just happened.

No, even further, as if considering the intervention in this situation as an opportunity.

“The Jogret family is none other than an honorable family that has supported the Empire’s military strength for about half a century. Their dirtying their hands was solely for national interests… Even if they committed harsh acts in the process, now that we’ve entered an era of peace, we should bury all of that in the past and move on.”

Yes, that’s right.

No matter how much that Viscount Jogret guy committed all sorts of despicable acts in the name of the greater good, in war, that must be considered justice.

It’s wrong to judge past events by current standards now that the war is over.

It could be said that it’s also a teacher’s role to reprimand students who don’t understand this.

“Did you threaten them with magic to teach them that?”

But that’s only within the category of ‘education’.

If a mistake was made, it should be corrected, but if violence is used before explanation, how is it any different from declaring to suppress resistance with force?

“Isn’t it necessary to consider extreme measures when it’s obvious they won’t listen to words anyway?”

The way he talks, it’s quite obvious what he’s thinking.

I’d like to swear at him, but would it even reach that guy’s ears if I say it out loud?

In the first place, the opponent has already defined those in front of him as beneath him, as lowly beings who shouldn’t go against those of superior birth.

“That’s……”

“Are you now asserting that it’s impossible to even persuade these children with words?”

A shout heard just as I was about to spit out that irritation.

For a moment I thought it was Teacher Lloyd, but he was just blankly watching this situation.

The one who shouted was from another direction in the spectator seats.

It was from the place where teachers from commoner backgrounds were positioned, seated on the exact opposite side from them.

“If you were going to claim that, you could have done it with words. It wasn’t something that required using magic to instill fear in the children!!”

“That’s right! For a teacher to use violence against students!! You should be ashamed of yourself!!”

Eventually, teachers rising and arguing from the regular seats.

In response to their reaction, other teachers supporting the noble-born teacher who used magic also stood up.

“Huh, are you protecting the children who committed wrong now?”

“It seems you feel sympathy because of your similar background, but you should still distinguish between public and private matters. If you’re a teacher, you should treat all students equally…”

“Equality? Are you seriously saying that now? It was the children around you who started this in the first place!”

“Hoho, that should be seen differently. The reason these children stepped up was purely because the young lady of the Jogret family was the victim…”

“What does being a young lady have to do with this situation? This fight was won by that child in the first place! It’s because you won’t acknowledge that that this situation has escalated!”

“Status, status!! Please stop it already! What does it matter if they’re commoners or nobles! Aren’t they all our students?!”

“And you call yourselves teachers!?”

Even the teachers from commoner backgrounds are rebelling against the noble-born teachers…

This was something I hadn’t expected at all.

What I thought would end as just friction between students has spread to a fight between teachers…

Does that mean the other side crossed the line that much?

Are they angry because they threatened their own students, immersed in their arrogance?

“The children here are also trying hard, we also worked hard to get to this position!”

“We’re sick and tired of teachers from the same school taking sides! Please stop it already!”

No, it’s not purely for the children’s sake.

Just as the noble-born are steeped in elitism and look down on them, even the adults who have been constantly ignored see this as an opportunity.

And such attitudes of adults greatly influence children as well.

“Yeah!! We’re sick and tired of living under the oppression of nobles!”

“We’re students too! Respect us as students just like you!!”

The moment commoner-born students stood up, gaining strength from the teachers’ shouts.

Unable to bear this, noble-born students began to open their mouths in anger.

“You lowly ones…!!”

“This is why we call you uneducated fools, rising up so recklessly like this!”

The verbal fight escalating to the point where the entire training ground could fly away…

No, it’s not even a verbal fight anymore.

What’s being spewed from thousands of open mouths is just an emotional riot.

The wave of madness stemming from it will surely stir up this training ground until restrained from the outside.

“Teacher Saine.”

But who can restrain this situation right now?

Teacher Lloyd, who is looking at me with anxious eyes, not knowing what to do?

Or me?

“…Teacher Lloyd. Please guard this place. It would be troublesome if magic flies again.”

No, I can’t stop this alone in the first place.

I don’t intend to either.

“What? What are you going to do…”

“The children who are hurting the most right now are elsewhere.”

Yes, it’s really a common thing.

Whatever the reason and purpose.

Those who provided the catalyst at some point become reduced to nothing.

“What’s going on?”

Eventually, turning my back on the chaotic scene, I looked at a girl while heading towards the stairs connecting the spectator seats to the training ground.

Binz Jogret.

The girl who has been chasing only ambition to stand at the top surely won’t understand this situation properly.

“Why are you all fighting? This duel was between me and that kid in the first place…”

Ironically, the girl’s concern was not directed at the insults towards her family.

Wasn’t it something that someone had to do, no matter how much her father was cursed?

As she had dirtied her hands in preparation for that, as a daughter who inherited that ideology, she would have been prepared to accept malice directed at herself.

“This duel is a match between me and that child! So why, why are you all fighting!!!”

Yes, so what’s unbearable is that the intent of this duel has been tainted.

She expressed her heated feelings without knowing the reason, but no one in this chaotic scene paid attention to the girl’s words.

“Stop.”

And it was the same for the boy standing at the opposite end of that girl.

“Everyone, please stop. Why are you fighting? Why…”

But rather than being angry at them, the boy was trying to dissuade them.

Isn’t he a child who believed he could become friends even with children who harshly persecuted him?

In such a situation, there’s no way that boy could look favorably upon people unrelated to him suddenly starting a fight.

“Don’t do this, everyone! Don’t fight, let’s be friendly with each other…”

“Shut up, you commoner!”

As if even that voice was irritating, one of the noble students threw something.

A metal cup that drew a parabola and finally struck his head.

The moment Dale’s head twisted from being hit, his molars clenched, but he ultimately suppressed the urge to rush at them.

“Are you in your right mind?!”

“What did that kid do wrong?!”

Those who noticed such a despicable act reacted immediately, but no one rushed to the boy who had been hit on the head.

Yes, for them, that boy is not a savior, but just an opportunity to improve their environment through a pretext.

I found even that appearance detestable, but ultimately suppressing that emotion too, I prepared to step onto the stairs leading to the training ground.

I know that jumping into this fight here would only make me the same as them.

Unless I have the power to make all the guys here shut up without empty words.

I had realized to the point of nausea through 10 years of battlefield life that there’s nothing to gain from a mud fight where people just tear each other apart.

“Why…”

But for that ignorant boy who doesn’t even have such experience.

How would this chaotic situation appear?

“Why did it turn out like this?”

It would just feel scary and confusing.

Because for the boy, the world was beautiful.

Until now, everything he encountered on the ground had to be that way for the boy who had seen beauty even in phenomena reminiscent of disasters.

“Is it because of me?”

So he would blame himself first.

He doesn’t know why, but he’s here, and because of his existence, they’re angry.

Eventually it turned into a fight, so maybe, he might be anxious that all of this happened because of him.

“Is everyone fighting like this because of me?”

No, it’s not your fault.

This is just how the world is. You just happened to get caught up in it unfortunately.

So it’s okay, it’s a problem that time will solve, so just bear with it a little.

While inwardly repeating such words of comfort, I had just stepped onto the stairs leading to the training ground.

“…Huh?”

Thud.

At some point, I realized there was a change in my body’s sensation, and my footsteps about to step onto the stairs stopped.

What is this sensation?

As if something that originally existed has disappeared…

“What’s this?”

“What…”

As if to show that I wasn’t the only one who felt it, some of those who had been causing a commotion began to calm their emotions and look down at their bodies.

Yes, it’s not just me.

This is a widespread phenomenon. It has swept over this entire training ground, including me.

I could immediately realize what the cause was.

‘The mana has disappeared.’

Residual mana drawn unconsciously.

The physical force derived from it usually stimulates the human body even if minutely, but at this moment, it has all disappeared.

But how?

For unconsciously drawn mana to completely disappear, isn’t that impossible unless one becomes a corpse?

“Is it because… I did something wrong…?”

No, there’s just one possibility.

That boy’s power could erase all the mana exposed to people.

And that child’s power is a special ability. It’s currently an unknown boundary whose cause can’t even be grasped.

It can’t be said that everything controlled by one’s will is the same as mana.

It’s entirely possible that its range responds more excessively to his own emotions, and as a result, the range expands to make ‘this entire area’ its sphere of influence.

-Crack.

The moment I noticed that, a chill ran down my spine, and my head quickly turned towards the sky.

The glass dome covering the sky of this training ground.

-Crack.

On its surface area, which is guaranteed durability by receiving mana supply through underground water veins.

Cracks that should never appear are forming.

“This is insane…”

The moment my tired mind was instantly awakened.

At that moment, my footsteps that were heading towards the stairs turned back, heading towards the railing of the spectator seats.

“Is it because I foolishly came to this school… Is that why everyone is fighting like this?”

“No, Dale.”

It’s not your fault.

It’s just a situation that could have exploded anytime given a trigger.

“I did something wrong… So please…”

So calm down.

-Crack.

Please, calm your emotions.

“Don’t fight. Please…”

“Harsion!! Protect Binz!!!”

A scream burst out urgently the moment I grasped the situation.

Along with it, my legs that leaped over the entire staircase felt numb, but now is not the time to worry about such things.

-Crack!

Even amidst this, the sky is splitting.

Everything existing below it is becoming a target.

“Now, stop…”

Yet the crowd, unaware of this, is noisily chattering and deafening the boy’s ears.

“Please, stooooop!!!!”

Unable to bear that pain, a cry finally bursts from his mouth.

-Crash!!

As if that resonance became a wedge.

The glass barrier, unable to withstand its own weight, began to fall, shattering into countless fragments.