episode_0042

A man speaks quietly.

“Guild Master, the collection book we sent last time hasn’t returned.”

The Guild Master of Akir Guild, caressing his ring lightly, responded casually.

“The medicine?”

“All the medicine they had is gone as well.”

Suddenly, a huge mana surged from the hands of the Guild Master of Akir, gripping the man’s throat in a suffocating manner. The man screamed in agony, but soon after the Guild Master of Akir released him, he urgently spoke.

“I… I will find it. There is a way to find it.”

Draco, the Guild Master of Akir, turned his head and asked.

“How? And when?”

“A… A while ago, there was a man who purchased a large amount of medicine. It seemed like he couldn’t use magic, like a half-penny. He disappeared after going to collect the medicine from him. I think there must be a connection, so I have sent someone. Time is… just one week…”

“Grrr…”

As Draco tightened the man’s throat again, the man, with a pale face, suffered before falling to the ground.

Draco spoke.

“Three days. I give you exactly three days to find and kill the betrayers. Bring back the medicine they took and ran away with.”

“Understood.”

Then Draco turned around and asked.

“What was the name of that inspector who bought a large amount of medicine this time?”

“Kael… I heard it was Kael.”

“Kael. Since I’ve never heard of him, he must be a scoundrel unrelated to the guild. If he’s not dead, get information from him. It’s inconceivable that two collectors and a half-penny named Kael escaped with a large amount of medicine.”

“Understood.”

— — —

Macderas had to keep an eye on the Milsogael while walking. Well, because Flimia kept contacting him.

holy trust: Have you arrived safely? Nothing happened, right?

Administrator: Oh. But things got a little complicated.

holy trust: What’s complicated? It’s not dangerous, is it?

Administrator: It’s not that. I’ll tell you later when I get back. It’s too long to chat about.

holy trust: I see… Have you had your meal?

Administrator: No, I’m going to eat later.

holy trust: I’m going to eat with Ye-bin now. Oh, by the way, Ye-bin said something about you not reading the chat. She only replies to me? It feels good, but it might make Ye-bin upset… But it also feels like she’s paying more attention to me… Ah, that’s not what I wanted to talk about… I used to always eat with MacDollas, so it feels a bit lonely to eat separately today…

Not knowing what to say, I didn’t reply, and then Flemya contacted me again.

holy trust: How long will it take for you to come? Will you come tomorrow?

Administrator: It might take a little longer than that.

holy trust: Then will you come in two days? Can you let me know what time you’ll come? I want to buy a gift before you arrive. Or if there’s something you want to eat, I’ll prepare it for you.

Administrator: I’m not sure. Gifts or food are okay. Sorry, but I’ll contact you later.

holy trust: Wait! I’m still curious…

I cut off the conversation, thinking that it could go on endlessly. It seems like Flemya’s dependency has eased, but it hasn’t completely healed. However, being apart might make it better. With that vague thought, I looked around.

Based on the information written in the diary, I arrived at Tristan Academy.

“This should be the right place.”

However, despite being at the academy, there was not a single person around.

“What should I do? Should I just go in?”

Although I was dressed in the academy’s uniform and shoes from Kyle’s room, I had no idea where the classrooms were or where to attend classes. If it were before enrollment, I wouldn’t have known, but since it was already mid-semester, I was facing a difficult situation having to find my own way.

“I should have written down the details.”

At that moment, I felt a sudden dislike for Kyle. Nevertheless, I just passed through the school gate without hesitation.

— Squeeeak…

A strange detection sensor, like magic, popped out and began to inspect my identity. It disappeared with a clear sound.

“I almost broke it.”

I almost completely exposed the sudden authentication magic. It must have been a quite elaborate spell, so removing it would be a nuisance. I resolved to be careful and slowly made my way deeper into the academy.

“Where should I go?”

I blankly looked at the massive building. Judging by its scale, it was easy to infer that Tristan Academy was quite prestigious even among the surrounding institutions. It was overwhelmingly large compared to other nearby academies and even had an automatic recognition system.

“If I stay like this, anyone could come.”

I wondered if I had any friends, and if someone recognized Kyle, I naturally tried to blend in with them. Before long, it was break time, and many people started moving around.

“There were no people earlier because it was during class.”

I sent glances to passersby, but they all treated me as if I were invisible. Occasionally, I made eye contact with a few, but they openly twisted their expressions. At first, I didn’t understand, but after hearing some whispering, I quickly understood why they reacted that way.

By the way, why haven’t you been showing up for a few days? If you hadn’t shown up, our academy would have been a place only for normal wizards. Do you know that our academy’s reputation isn’t good these days because of you? It’s really annoying.

“Ah…”

I began to understand. While Kayle was proud of his swordsmanship, he never ceased to yearn for magic.

The pills he had unknowingly taken were poison. One of the reasons he had stuffed hundreds, even thousands of pills into his mouth, believing they would help him learn magic, might have been because of their gazes.

The actions of those around him were denying Kayle’s very existence.

Macderrus roughly observed the amount of mana the noisy kids had.

“It’s crude, to say the least, it’s filthy.”

The amount of mana was ambiguous enough to use the expression “inferior.” Their mana levels were at the level of novice trainees just entering the mana tower.

“I shouldn’t pay attention to them.”

It didn’t seem like they intended to openly provoke me, as they hadn’t harmed my dignity and were speaking in hushed tones. If things got out of hand, I might need to put them in their place, but it wasn’t right to pick a fight hastily when I didn’t even know my class position properly.

Instead of fighting, I approached the ones gossiping behind my back. Then I called them over and asked them. I thought they might know something for sure.

“Do you happen to know where my class is?”

“…?”

The guys looked at me with confusion and asked.

“Are you talking to us right now?”

“Well, if it’s not you, who else is here right now?”

“…?”

The five guys exchanged glances as if they found each other absurd, then answered me.

“Why are you talking like that? Are you trying to act tough?”

Kayle’s tone seemed different from mine. What can I do? I’ve only seen how he talks on the community, so I can’t imitate his real-life speech or tone.

To avoid unnecessary suspicion, I gave a prepared excuse.

“I had a minor accident and lost my memory. I remember the academy I attended, but I can’t recall what class it was.”

Eventually, I revealed a large scar on the neck of my arm and shirt. Just so you know, the scar was originally on Kael’s body. I don’t know how it got there, but I decided to use it as a convenient excuse.

“Ah… that makes sense.”

“Well… it would be strange if I were unscathed after being severely beaten on the last day.”

“Beaten?”

It seemed like the men knew the cause of the scar, but they didn’t react or ask about it.

“[The bullying by the classmates is getting worse these days… It feels like they’re tormenting me even more since they found out I like Leviah…]”

This was written in Kael’s diary. It was clear that one of the classmates was responsible. It was time to find out who.

“Anyway, do you know the class?”

“Go to Class B.”

“Thanks.”

The two men chuckled. I ignored them.

As I tried to move, another person grabbed my arm. It was a guy with short-cropped hair, not participating in Kael’s gossip, quietly crossing his arms.

“Kael. These guys are playing around. Your class isn’t B, it’s E. But don’t go to class, leave early. There’s nothing good waiting for you there.”

At this, the guys next to him spoke up like a chorus.

“Hey, why are you doing this? Don’t mess around with us for no reason.”

Despite objections from those around, the man looked at me, waiting for my response.

“I don’t understand what you’re worried about.”

“In Class E, there are guys who have been bothering you. And the last time you came to the academy, you were severely beaten by them. That’s probably why you lost your memory. So don’t go. It won’t be good for you.”

“Thanks, tough guy.”

“…”

I deliberately said something rude to the guy. It was because I couldn’t grasp his sincerity. It was difficult to distinguish whether he was saying the words nicely to persuade me to drop out, or if he was genuinely worried about me being harassed.

The best thing I could understand was the other person’s response. If he was genuinely concerned about me, he wouldn’t get angry at these kinds of words, and if he was just trying to make me drop out, he would be greatly enraged.

“Because I have scalp inflammation… I have no choice but to keep my hair short.”

Despite my somewhat rude words, the guy responded appropriately.

I smiled at him. I thought he was picking a fight, but it seemed like he was worried about me. No, more precisely, he was worried about Kael.

I don’t know why he hangs out with those timid kids, but the guy’s advice was quite impressive. I looked at him and asked, “What’s your name?”

“Zeren.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Saying so, as I tried to leave, Zeren spoke to me again.

“Why are you leaving even though I was honest? I’m telling you again, I didn’t lie.”

“There’s no need to avoid it.”

Zeren paused for a moment, thinking about the meaning of my words.

“…You seem prepared. Sorry for the unnecessary meddling.”

With those words, Zeren stepped back and crossed his arms. Then he emphasized once more to me.

“Just in case you misunderstand, I have scalp inflammation, so I have no choice but to keep my hair short.”

I left with a smile. For some reason, I felt like I wanted to become closer to him.

— — —

“Is this the right place?”

After hearing about the E class from Kael, I was diligently searching inside the academy, but it was so large that it was difficult to find. The A, B, C, D, and E classes were not all clustered together, and they were scattered here and there, so finding it on the first try was rather strange.

In the end, I decided to look into each class. As I went around the classes, I felt that Kael was not well-received. Perhaps it’s because he’s the only one being tested at the academy; they didn’t seem to welcome Kael’s presence.

After going around the classes, I finally found the E class.

I felt some guys looking at me, but I ignored them and tried to find my seat. Since there were many empty seats, I just grabbed any girl next to me and asked, “Where is my seat?”

“Um…?”

“My seat.”

“You can sit over there.”

“Thanks.”

With that, I sat in silence. The girl stared at me blankly, but I ignored her. After all, she wasn’t someone I wanted to be close with.

However, soon an unavoidable sound reached my ears.

“Huh? Levya. Isn’t that Kael? Did he bother you again? That’s why you should definitely ignore him. It’s because you keep helping him.”

“How can I ignore… We’re classmates… You shouldn’t talk like that either… It’s true that it’s burdensome, but if possible, I want us all to get along.”

“Ugh… Just because you’re so nice, Kael doesn’t even know his place and likes you.”

I looked at the girls who were having a conversation.

“So it’s her.”

She was the girl I had asked about the seat just now, the girl Tryngman had a crush on, and at the same time, the girl Levya who used the nickname “Suyangbudle” in the community.

As I observed Levya intently, she suddenly turned her head and our eyes met. She quickly avoided my gaze. Judging by her stiff expression, Tryngman’s confession seemed quite unwelcome.

“She looks uncomfortable.”

I understand. When someone you don’t like keeps confessing, it feels like an attack. So, thinking that I should avoid getting involved with that girl as much as possible, I rummaged through the drawer. I was curious if there was anything Kael had left behind.

Then, a sticky, unpleasant liquid got on my hand.

“Hey, damn it! I said that would work, right? If Kael comes in, he’ll rummage through the drawers.”

A man shouted loudly and cheered. I looked at the sticky liquid on my hand.

The milk was already rotten, full of mold.

I quietly said to the excited guy, “Is this your doing?”

Looking around, the man, with a bewildered tone, asked me, “Are you talking to me?”

“If not you, then who?”

“Listen to the way this guy talks. What’s with the attitude? What kind of act is this, you idiot?”

“You started the argument, why are you mad at me?”

“Argument? Why the hell are you so angry? We were just joking around as friends, right? No?”

“That joke was disgusting.”

As I replied, the guy swaggered and puffed up his chest. He seemed to want to appear intimidating, but he was just the same. As I remained silent, watching him, he began to poke at my head.

“Are you out of your mind? I playfully hit you, and suddenly you’re really hurt? If it wasn’t okay, why didn’t you say something? Friends can do that, right? Answer me. Why are you suddenly mute?”

The guy quickly approached me, pushing his head towards mine in provocation.

“Why aren’t you answering now? Are you scared now that I’m right in front of you? Will you start cursing your dead parents while crying again? Speak, you damn bastard. We were supposed to laugh and joke around, why are you so serious?”

I have to endure. It’s not good to cause a scene as my reputation isn’t great to begin with. I am a rational person. Wasn’t I a commander who acted rationally even on the battlefield not long ago?

But sadly, due to the guy’s incessant provocation, my hand moved uncomfortably.

With a squelching sound, the fingers that had touched the rotten milk were deeply thrust into the guy’s mouth. I immediately pulled my hand back and wiped it clean.

At that, the guy choked and started spitting, tears streaming down his face. Probably added something strange to the milk to make it smell worse.

“Damn… today I’ll kill you and just get expelled.”

Looking at the swaggering guy, I replied briefly.

“It’s strange. Why are you so angry? It was just a joke between friends.”