episode_0043

“Joking around? Jokes are only fun when they’re appropriate. Who do you think you are to mess with me like this?” MacDeras spoke up as the man swaggered.

“Well, your choice of words alone is low-class; we don’t seem to be on the same level.”

“That bastard Kyle…”

The man rushed towards me. However, I deftly twisted my body to evade his attack.

Yet, his reactions were not slow. As he realized his attack missed, he swiftly turned his body and threw a punch. A slow and clumsy trajectory. Even though I wanted to take the blow in return, his style of attack, focused more on strength than speed due to excitement, made it impossible for me to get hit.

After lightly deflecting the man’s hand aiming for my face, I kicked him in the side of his neck.

“Ugh!”

Onlookers gazed with expressions of not understanding what was happening. However, some continued gossiping even at that moment.

[“Hey… What’s going on? Is Kyle winning?”]

[“That can’t be true. How could Kyle, not even a mage but a swordsman, win?”]

[“Then what is this…”]

[“He must be dodging since he doesn’t use magic. Swordsmen are only good at physical combat.”]

Mephiro. I remembered the man’s name and looked back at him.

His puffed-up chest, flushed cheeks, and hands and legs jutting forward as if expressing a determination to strike somehow.

I sighed, unsure where to begin pointing out the flaws. Even without reaching the level of other races, knights from Kareldeen or the Pibron Empire would undoubtedly possess far superior skills compared to him.

“He’s fallen into magical omnipotence.”

Observing the rough handling of mana from his hands, I noted that his mana manipulation itself was quite decent. The mana, which was rough and erratic in his hands, suddenly returned refined and took shape once again.

“He knows how to perform shape-shifting to some extent, indicating diligent training. However, he seems to have neglected physical combat training altogether.”

His mana transformed into an ice short sword, causing frost to form in the surroundings.

“If you get injured anywhere, I won’t take responsibility, alright? After all, Kyle, this is your doing from the start.”

“Speak properly. You started the argument first, Mephiro.”

“Don’t call my name so disrespectfully, you inferior commoner!”

As Mephiro lunged towards me…

*Swoosh*

With the sound of the door opening, an instructor entered and spoke.

“Sorry for being late. Let’s start the class right away.”

Come to think of it, I remember hearing a strange noise during the battle. I glanced at the instructor for a moment. It was a look that meant to punish Mephiro, who was bothering his classmates with magic during class, despite the lesson starting.

However, Tekas’s voice came from behind at that moment.

“Instructor Arnius, let’s move on without listening to unnecessary talk, shall we?”

Upon hearing his words, Instructor Arnius immediately shifted his gaze to the blackboard as if he hadn’t seen anything.

“Today, we’ll continue from where we left off last time. Those without textbooks, come see me separately.”

Although Instructor Arnius was speaking, Mephiro showed no intention of stopping.

“You bastard, whether there’s an instructor or not, you’re gonna get it…”

As the man began using magic, I too prepared to retaliate. However, my sword did not come out.

“Mephiro. Tone it down and sit.”

Seated at the back, the man who had just displayed an attitude seemingly commanding the instructor, Tekas spoke up, and Mephiro shouted,

“Did you see that guy put spoiled milk in my mouth? If I let this slide, my dignity…”

“Are you cursing at me now?”

“Tekas, that’s not… I mean, I’m talking about that guy.”

“Shut up and sit down. He can get his comeuppance after class. You know today is the day I’ve been waiting for, right? Let’s end this on good terms, okay?”

“…Got it.”

Mephiro. I remembered the name of the guy who had been teasing me. Following that, I engraved the name of a guy named Tekas in my mind.

“He’s probably the ringleader.”

At first glance, his delinquent attitude, speech, and the bizarre act of openly putting his feet on the desk revealed his character. The instructor continued the class, oblivious to it all.

“This doesn’t seem like a normal place.”

The instructor taught diligently, and the students seemed fine at a glance, but the issue lay with the instructor’s attitude.

At the back of the classroom, there was a stench of sour milk, and just moments ago, two students were on the verge of fighting, yet no one intervened or even made an effort to address the situation. Most concerning was the fact that the instructor didn’t even reprimand the guy sleeping with dirty shoes on the desk.

“Why didn’t Kael ask for help? Turns out, there was nowhere to seek help from in the first place.”

Kael faced discrimination and persecution at the academy for being a loner as a mage. His lack of interaction with others was a problem in itself.

Even the instructor seemed to be wary of a guy like Tekas. If Kael caught the attention of such a person, his academy life would undoubtedly be miserable. As I summarized the situation briefly, the voice of Instructor Arnius could be heard.

“Everyone should know we have group assignments today, right? Pair up in groups of six to create summoning creatures. The summoned creatures will battle each other, and prizes designated by the academy will be awarded to the 1st and 2nd places, so give it your all.”

The instructor looked at me and then added as if something had crossed his mind, “Oh, since Kael seems unable to handle magic, whoever brings Kael into their group will receive additional bonus points.”

It felt like being used, but it wasn’t bad. If not for this, I might have been excluded from the group formation altogether.

The group assignment provided valuable information. Quickly forming groups allowed me to see who was friends with whom.

Mephiro, who had needlessly picked a fight with me before, and Tekas, who treated him like a subordinate, were also placed in the same group. I memorized the faces of those who entered the same group as them.

Next, I observed Tekas closely.

“Surprising. He didn’t seem like he would participate in class activities.”

Throughout the theoretical class, Tekas had a bored expression, resting his legs on the desk or chair. But now, as practical work began, he actively participated in forming the group and started moving around.

He gathered his group members, who seemed like troublemakers at first glance, and then, as if performing a summoning ritual, he used magic from the center. Through the mix of fire and wind attributes, a summoned creature appeared.

“See that? This is the summoning spell of an A-rank mage.”

Some of the guys, including Mephiro, applauded and praised him.

“Indeed, what sets an A-rank mage apart is remarkable. To summon a creature with two attributes right at the start. Honestly, there wouldn’t be anyone in the E-class capable of handling magic to this extent, right?”

Mephiro started fawning over Tekas. Satisfied, Tekas dismissed the summoned creature with a content expression.

“Is that considered A-rank?”

It didn’t seem exceptionally impressive. Mixing attributes is manageable even without exceptional mana quantity or utilization.

It’s just a matter of not knowing how; once you find the way, it’s straightforward. By regulating the paths of each attribute to prevent them from intersecting and blending, and by infusing an appropriate level of mana, mixing three attributes is easily achievable.

Of course, mixing multiple attributes for a summoning creature is inefficient and unnecessary.

“Display Magic”

The thoughts that came to mind after seeing the summon Teckas showed were just that.

As I was observing the man’s magic, a girl came up and asked me,

“Hey… Kael… If you can’t find Jo, would you like to join us?”

Levia. A girl who uses the nickname “Sunflower” on the fan community site, someone who has a crush on Flyingman. As she made her offer to me, whispers among students could be heard from behind.

“Oh… Levia is at it again. Acting like that. Just because of that, she likes him without even understanding.”

“Ugh… It’s really annoying. I came here because of Levia, but why now…”

I was curious about her intentions. She had written posts on the fan community site about feeling uncomfortable, so why was she helping me, or more precisely, why was she helping Kael?

Curious about the reason, I simply asked.

“Levia, weren’t you uncomfortable around me?”

“…That’s true, but… we made a promise, didn’t we? If you muster up the courage… then I’ll help you too.”

Courage. I didn’t understand what she meant, but the girl’s eyes briefly flickered towards Mephiro and me.

‘Did she promise to help me get out of being ostracized?’

Whatever promise she made wasn’t important.

“I see.”

“But… I hope you don’t misunderstand. When I say I’ll help you, it doesn’t mean I’ll accept any confessions you made before. I’ve said it many times, but I still have no intention of dating, and honestly, I don’t see you in a romantic way. You’re just a friend to me. However, I won’t just stand by and watch the cruel acts happening in our class. If you need help, I’ll be there… if you need a witness for the instructor, I can speak up.”

“Not needed.”

“Why…?”

“Because I can overcome this on my own.”

“After taking a leave of absence, did you learn martial arts like self-defense techniques? Or swordsmanship? Your movements just now were impressive, but still, it would be difficult to physically retaliate against the Tekas family like that. It might be better to talk to the instructor together…”

“Go away.”

I was starting to get annoyed. The girl said she would help me, but her idea of help was not substantial at all.

It reminded me of the attitude of Arnius, the instructor who seemed to be turning a blind eye to the harassment.

To such an instructor, if I were to bring a witness asking for help because I was being harassed, would he really accept it straightforwardly and solve the problem? No. Absolutely not. He would either try some disgusting mediation pretending to reconcile or pretend not to know.

I knew well about people like Mephiro, like Teckas. No matter how much others interfered, they wouldn’t change. To stop their actions, you needed a greater evil than them. Or someone with force to crush them forcibly.

Kael may not have had that power, but now it exists. Because I possessed his body.

I looked at Levia and spoke.

“I lost my memory due to an accident. I don’t even know what it means to like you, and I don’t remember the promises we made in the first place. So, there’s no need to worry or make an effort. I can handle my own affairs.”

“…”

After looking at me for a moment, Levia nodded and replied.

“Got it…”

After Levia left, I sat alone and passed the time. And a while later, the instructor approached me and asked,

“Kael. You don’t belong to any group, do you?”

I gave a brief reply to the instructor.

“Do you really think I would join a group if there were bonus points? That’s unlikely.”

He openly rebuked me as if he truly didn’t understand the torment and rejection I was facing. Then the instructor cleared his throat and said, ”

“If being alone is what makes you comfortable, Kael, I’ll let you form your own team by yourself. But since you can’t use magic, you can’t summon familiars either, right? I’ll exclude you from the competition, so make sure to rest enough.”

The instructor tries to push me out by pretending not to know and escape the situation. Unfortunately, I have no intention of just letting it happen. If they continue to ignore me, reject me, and pretend not to know me, then I will put a stop to such behavior.

Reluctantly, as my influence grows, they will have no choice but to acknowledge me.

Using magic would make things easier. If I create a more powerful familiar than anyone here and defeat all the familiars of the other teams in the competition, I will quickly become a renowned figure at the academy. However, that approach is not right.

What Kael desired was to be recognized by everyone for his swordsmanship.

I asked the instructor, “Since I can’t create familiars, shouldn’t I designate myself as a familiar?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you say each of us would compete with our created familiars? I’m saying I will directly participate as a familiar.”

“…It’s not impossible, but…you’re not thinking of using your sword to kill other students’ familiars, are you?”

“That’s not important. Since I can’t handle magic, can’t I participate directly instead of using a familiar? There shouldn’t be anyone questioning fairness. Is there an issue with this?”

After emphasizing and asking multiple times, the instructor replied, “Do as you wish.”

The instructor left, and the mock familiar competition was getting ready.

“The team that has finished creating their familiars, have one representative come forward with me to register the familiars as avatars.”

Each team registered their familiars as avatars. The registered familiars automatically moved to the combat area.

On the screen, the appearances of the familiars submitted by the students were displayed prominently by team. It seemed like there would be a live broadcast of the familiar battles between teams.

At that moment, as others looked on, murmurs began to spread.

“What’s up with that guy?”

“Where’s the crazy dude who couldn’t even summon a familiar?”

“Wow…is he that desperate? Fighting with just a sword against familiars?”

“Does he think he can win? No matter how hard he tries with inferior swordsmanship, it won’t work against magic.”

In the familiar battle preparation room, Kael stood alone.

As if a knight stepping onto the battlefield, wielding his sword with ease.

A man entered the familiar waiting room. Macdarrus muttered as he looked around at the familiars present.

“They’re all pretty pathetic.”