episode_0030

For lunch, steak and salad, bread, and some tangy soup with an unknown name were served.

My friends were definitely avoiding me, so whenever they came near me, I would turn my head away.

Carrying my plate, I went to a secluded corner to eat alone.

It was annoying to see them giving up on coming to me and chatting among themselves, so I ended up joining them.

Someone at the back muttered, “What a bothersome woman,” but I pretended not to hear.

The conversation continued.

“…Both of you are going to show your abilities as nobles in the next class, right?”

Deran, Seina.

Although it was ambiguous to call Astel a friend, and I didn’t even make an appearance in the novel, I didn’t think there was much to worry about with these two.

The unique abilities of the two described in the novel were incredibly powerful.

“Be gentle with them. Don’t intimidate the kids too much.”

So, rather than worrying about what would happen to the two of them, it was probably better to worry about this.

“Aren’t you disappointed?”

“About what?”

When I tilted my head in surprise at Deran’s sudden question, he spoke with a slightly more serious expression than usual.

“Fallen nobles usually have a strong desire for abilities.”

Ah, he’s talking about fallen nobles.

The story about fallen nobles.

Bringing up such a topic in front of me seemed like an attempt to provoke me.

Unfortunately, I was not particularly interested in such things.

“It would be nice to have abilities, but isn’t it okay not to have them?”

“You could become a noble based on your abilities, couldn’t you?”

To be a noble…

It would definitely be nice.

In a class society, higher classes acted as an absolute power.

However, I knew better than anyone that wishing for something I didn’t have would only make me look pitiful.

“It would be nice, but obsessing over something you don’t have would only make you look pitiful.”

Above all.

“If I really had nothing, I might have longed for a power that I might have had, but that’s not the case.”

I had been given something unlike reality.

I had money.

When I was a noble, I had the capital accumulated by my ancestors.

I had that kind of ‘leisure’ that would last a lifetime.

I took the last bite of steak, dangling my legs that didn’t touch the ground.

Feeling that the atmosphere would become slightly heavy if I ended the conversation like this, I opened my mouth with a playful smile.

“Besides, I’m pretty enough, right?”

Deran’s expression twisted unpleasantly, but since he didn’t expect an answer, he shrugged and said.

“I think at this level, you can choose to date any man you want.”

Of course, I had no intention of dating a man, but it was a light joke to lighten the mood.

“If you have money and want love, you can choose… I’m not so lacking that I would long for the abilities of a noble.”

“I see, I said something unnecessary.”

Deran sighed and smiled as he tossed his salad, covering his mouth.

“Rather, than me, Shasha!”

“Huh?”

“Does Shasha want power?”

Wanting power.

“…That sounds really sinister.”

“Anyway, what does Shasha think? Be honest!”

Shasha was not a fallen noble.

Nor was she from a merchant family.

Her father served as a soldier in the kingdom, and her mother ran a small general store.

Not poor, but not wealthy, a household like that.

I might have money, but she didn’t, so it would be much more honest to ask her.

“…I think it would be nice to have it, but I don’t think I would be so greedy for something I don’t have.”

“Why? Don’t you want to become a noble?”

“I do want to become one… but the power I can get by wishing for it isn’t the kind I want, right?”

That’s how it is.

“I want to be a noble, and I want power, but if it’s not meant to be, then it’s not meant to be.”

Shasha spoke plainly.

It was a completely different sentiment from mine.

I could afford to give up on something because I had the luxury to do so, a relaxed kind of surrender.

Shasha, on the other hand, seemed to have resigned herself to giving up out of inertia.

“Shasha, you’re too smart, that’s the problem.”

Shasha looked at me as if to ask the meaning of my words, but there was nothing more to add as the meaning was clear.

If one couldn’t afford to give up on something, it usually meant they were longing for something they felt lacking in themselves.

And for a child whose mind wasn’t fully developed, that desire would be even stronger.

Shasha was talking about giving up so easily at the young age of 10.

Of course, she was right.

Power isn’t something you can simply obtain just because you want it.

So, it’s better to give up quickly if that’s the case.

It’s much better for your mental health.

However, no matter how right the words were, they sounded too mature coming from a child.

“…In my hometown, there was a kid who wanted to make me his slave if I became a noble.”

His face flashed through my mind, causing my body to shudder.

Shasha’s words sounded even more mature to me, as I remembered the kid who used to shout such things when I kept refusing his confessions.

“…Who was that guy?”

“Who?”

“I-I feel bad…”

Deron, Shasha, and Seina all asked me with serious expressions, and I involuntarily shrank back under the pressure of their sudden intensity.

Even though they were just 10-year-old kids in my eyes, their combined serious expressions made me feel uneasy.

“…Why are you suddenly like this? It’s scary.”

If they’re reacting like this because some arrogant kid in town said something like that, isn’t it a bit too much?

Kids can make mistakes, it’s an overreaction.

“No, so what did you say in response?”

“Oh right, yeah, I definitely told Lia to do whatever she wants.”

“I just said if she can do it, then go ahead and try…?”

Even though I casually responded because it was something impossible, my friends’ faces stiffened as if I had done something wrong.

Regardless of age, the atmosphere had become heavy and uncomfortable.

“Um, um, I think we’ve finished eating, should we get up now?”

No, the kids behind us are watching our every move.

Causing a scene like this in a restaurant would be a nuisance, so we reluctantly got up from our seats and left the restaurant.

As soon as we left the restaurant, Shasha whispered to me.

“Next time, if there are kids like that, make sure to tell me, okay?”

Yeah, I definitely won’t say anything.

It seems like someone will end up getting hurt.

And so, after some back and forth, about 1 hour and 30 minutes of lunchtime passed, and it was time for class again. The professor stood in front of us on the wide field and explained the purpose of this class.

The abilities of nobles are generally powerful, but most of us are still inexperienced in handling them.

He mentioned that we would start training to correct that.

Before we began the training, the goal of this class was to assess how well each of us could utilize our abilities.

There were various reactions to his words.

Excitement and confidence in being able to showcase their abilities.

Or anxiety about making a mistake and the embarrassment of hiding their faces.

“Um….”

Since there weren’t any memorable scenes from this event, it probably means there won’t be any major incidents other than someone getting hurt.

Why am I feeling so anxious?

The first noble to step forward had the ability to create ice in the air.

However, it was not just ordinary ice, but ice that was harder than steel, much colder, and could be shaped into desired forms.

A window made of ice appeared in the air.

It might be possible to create an ice window with magic.

However, the nature of the ice remains unchanged.

Ice can only be ice, and that is the limit of magic.

The abilities possessed by nobles are characterized by the fact that the nature they possess changes, which is their distinguishing feature.

The ice window that appeared in the air, according to the gestures of the nobles,

-!

Was deeply embedded in the ground more than halfway, and soon turned into frost and disappeared.

The abilities demonstrated by other nobles were equally impressive.

The ability to communicate with animals.

The ability to harden the body like layers of armor.

The ability to create wings and fly through the air.

The ability to create water that shows temporary awakening effects when consumed, and so on.

Amidst all these abilities,

There was no sign of the incident I had feared.

“Am I just confused?”

I muttered to myself.

It could be possible.

Since the event was so forgettable, it could have been mixed up with other content.

Relaxing the tension that had immediately pulled me up to rush out if someone got hurt, I released the unnecessary tension, causing sweat to pour out.

I was sweating because I was unnecessarily tensed.

“It’s almost over….”

Instead of standing up and releasing the tension, I should sit down and watch the amazing magic performances the kids were showing.

This time, a noble who looked confident stood in front of the professor and raised both hands to create something.

A flame in the shape of a giant sphere.

It was quite impressive, but after seeing a variety of things before, it felt relatively less fresh.

And maybe they were overdoing it.

The noble’s face twisted, catching my eye.

“This is good enough.”

“…Ah, no, I can make it bigger.”

Huh.

The conversation felt uncomfortable.

Just as the professor was about to say something in response to the stubborn words of the noble,

“Uh….”

Along with the noble’s disappointed words, the fireball that had been condensed in the air began to break free from control and fly towards me.

“…Oh, was it me who was going to get hurt?”

Before I could make a judgment to get up and run away, the speed at which the fireball was flying towards me was much faster, and I felt a sense of helplessness before fear.

It seemed that the problem was that the protagonist was confident that he wouldn’t get hurt here in the development of the novel.

I closed my eyes tightly and prepared for the imminent pain.

Pain is familiar, so I can endure it.

…With that determination, how much longer did I wait?

The expected pain did not come, and I slowly opened my eyes, only to find Deron standing in front of me.

“…Are you hurt?”

At first glance, he seemed fine, so it seemed okay.

I cautiously asked if there was anything to worry about, but Deron casually brushed off my concern.

“You won’t get hurt by something like this.”

“Thank goodness.”

I smiled awkwardly.

Honestly, I looked a little cool now.