EP.44
A commoner named Jin had just defeated none other than Hugo Bright in a duel assessment.
And not just that; he did so without Hugo’s side laying a single finger on him, showcasing an overwhelming difference in skill that no one could deny.
Such rumors spread throughout Nineveh in no time, even reaching beyond the first-year students who had witnessed the duel, just a day after the match concluded.
Humans, after all, are creatures that enjoy ranking themselves against others.
They can engage in discussions for days on trivial gossip about who is stronger than whom or who would definitely win a fight against whom, as if it carried any real significance.
In that moment, the boastful Jin, who was rumored to be all talk and no substance, had defeated the well-regarded but talentless Hugo, placing him among the top five first-years.
Though the man Hugo Bright was arrogant and had a rather unpleasant personality, he was undeniably strong.
Strength, in itself, is a currency of power, which is why the actions of someone like Hugo were tacitly overlooked.
Similarly, even when Claire Delphin Mascarena, who possessed magical prowess that appeared once a century, caused a major accident during Magical Beasts practice, her actions were brushed aside.
In the Empire, great strength and talent are invaluable assets that cannot be traded for anything else. It was the Empire’s stance that incidents of a few mishaps should not extinguish the potential of those who possess such talent.
Yet, Hugo Bright had lost.
According to the rumors, Jin possessed psychic abilities or had somehow used underhanded tactics to gain admission to Nineveh, and he decisively defeated Hugo with an overwhelming display of skill.
The entire student body, not just the first-years, was thrown into chaos by an outcome no one had dared to predict.
Who exactly is this fellow named Jin? Is he merely a commoner who got lucky and enrolled in Nineveh, or was he just a boastful character who thrived on a small display of psychic power?
Well, it was a decision Jin had made anticipating that it would attract the attention of others.
He found it more disturbing that the likes of Hugo, with his beady eyes and shameful behavior, were spreading baseless rumors about him than the whispers from the crowd.
Somehow, it seemed his expectations were slightly off.
“Are you Jin? The one who joined Nineveh from the high school level?”
“But I heard you had psychic abilities? How did you manage to defeat the martial arts-oriented Hugo? Could it be that you possess some other skill instead of psychic abilities?”
“Wow, look at those flabby arms. You haven’t been training much, have you? So how did you manage to summon such strength during the duel?”
“What you just did, how on earth did you do that? Can you tell me?”
What do you mean “that”? How on earth can I understand what you’re talking about?
“You know, how you rode against the shockwave Hugo shot at you, like you were surfing on it. How did you do that? Can you share it with me?”
“I heard a rumor that you’re actually a hidden illegitimate child of some noble family? Or perhaps you’re a foreign royal who entered Nineveh under a false identity?”
…What on earth is this nonsense someone with nothing to do is spreading? A dimension traveler like me, a hidden royal or noble? If I had such a hidden identity, what on earth am I doing here?
After his victory over Hugo, Jin found it impossible to show his face around Nineveh.
Everywhere he walked, people stole glances at him like he was some rare animal in a zoo, and even students who had previously shown him no interest crowded around him, eager to engage him in conversation.
Are you really a commoner? Where did you learn martial arts? What is your skill that allowed you to easily subdue the martial arts-oriented Hugo? Is there any truth to the rumors of you being a hidden royal?
People bombarded Jin with various rumors circulating about him, and while he initially tried his best to answer their questions, he soon found himself growing increasingly annoyed.
In the end, he had to utilize his synesthesia to find places where there were no people, sneaking around like a ninja, and even on golden holidays, he ended up stuck in his room, unable to move.
The weather outside was so clear and bright, yet here I was, stuck in a cramped room—though to be fair, the dorm was quite grand, so calling it cramped seemed a bit misleading—feeling restless. But what could I do?
It was out of the question to cheerfully laugh and chatter with others while enduring countless requests for handshakes.
“By the way, who started that ridiculous rumor about you being some foreign royal or an illegitimate child of a noble? And what about those who actually believe such nonsense?”
—Well, to be honest, it was a somewhat expected outcome. It’s more surprising that you didn’t foresee such a situation.
As Erekaya spoke in a nonchalant tone, Jin turned to her, astonished.
“What do you mean by that? Were you anticipating these ridiculous rumors?”
—Indeed. The public tends to prefer concocting their own rationalizations to justify their beliefs rather than relying on baseless gossip. In that sense, it’s clear that the students of Nineveh find you to be quite an enigmatic figure.
—They believe that where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Similarly, common students are generally viewed as inferior to noble students.
—It’s not to say that common students are lesser or lacking in ability. Of course, nobles have spent centuries refining their bloodlines, so from a genetic standpoint, they are indeed superior to ordinary commoners. However, what I want to emphasize here is merely the ‘environment.’
“Environment?”
—Exactly. Noble students receive education from a young age, defined by their family, including what their aptitudes are and what career paths they might take.
—In other words, noble students enter Nineveh after having already determined what they want to become in the future, backed by family support to develop their talents. This creates an inherently different environment compared to common students, who discover their aptitudes and pursue various forms of education only after entering Nineveh.
—Hugo Bright was a quintessential martial artist who had been honing and developing his talents since childhood. The strength of physical-type ability users stems from the level of training they undergo. A common student who had only been in Nineveh for about a month could hardly hope to rival him.
Yet, Jin had managed to defeat Hugo. Not through any underhanded tactics, but by directly besting him in martial combat.
“Is it true then that, to the noble classes, my achievement was something that should have been impossible? Hence, they start to suspect I might have some sort of background?”
—That’s right. I don’t know who originated this ridiculous rumor, but nearly all the students have come to believe it because of the circumstances surrounding it. Furthermore, it cannot be dismissed as mere rumor.
“…Not mere rumor? Why not?”
Could it be that, unbeknownst to Jin, noble blood flowed through his veins? Unfortunately, Jin wasn’t even from this world in the first place!
—That’s not what I’m implying. What I want to focus on is that photograph.
With that, Erekaya sighed and looked at Jin.
—The picture you bought at the market as a substitute for a family photo. You’ve hidden it well, I trust, so as not to draw anyone’s attention?
“Of course. Your panic made it difficult for me to find a suitable hiding place for it. But what’s the significance of this photo?”
Jin pulled the photograph from a hidden space behind his bed and took a look at the family photo once more.
A pair of dark-haired adults, likely a couple, and a dark-haired boy standing between them.
Objectively, the pair looked remarkably handsome and beautiful, and naturally, the child between them had an undeniably cute face.
‘At a glance, he does seem somewhat like my younger self.’
In fact, the only similarity between Jin’s childhood and the boy in the photo was that all their features were present, but at least Jin believed this to be the case.
—Those figures in the photo… they somehow feel familiar. No matter how I think about it, they don’t seem entirely like strangers.
“Familiar, you say? Does that mean you know them? Or perhaps they are nobles you’ve interacted with?”
—I can’t say for sure. However, considering how rare people with black hair are on this continent, I should have some related memories in my mind…
Unfortunately, while looking at that family photo, Erekaya could not recall a single memory associated with it. No matter how hard she tried to remember, she had never encountered anyone who looked like those people.
But why do the figures in the photograph feel so familiar to her? Why does it not simply register as just men?
Every time Erekaya faced that family photo, there was a tickling sensation at the back of her mind, suggesting that those individuals must be related to her in some way.
If so, it was highly likely that they were nobles—high-ranking ones, at that, with whom Erekaya had some kind of relationship, substantial enough for them to remain as memories in her mind.
Judging by Erekaya’s assessment, hanging a family photo with such figures in her room would undoubtedly lead to some kind of trouble.
Fortunately, in the past month, nobody at Nineveh had developed a deep relationship with Jin, so no one had seen the picture. Still, it was uncertain how things might unfold.
“…Nobles? Well, that surely fits. As you said, their overall appearance does seem somewhat upscale. It’s not an entirely unbelievable story.”
—If that’s the case, you should get rid of that photo. I have a feeling that keeping it will bring you nothing but misfortune.
As Erekaya expressed her concerns, Jin frowned.
Honestly, she seemed like a woman who carried unnecessary worries. It was just a photo, after all. How much trouble could a simple picture actually cause?
‘Honestly, it feels a bit wasteful to just throw away such a photo.’
On this continent, individuals with black hair were rare. A family photo featuring people with black hair was even rarer.
No matter how I think about it, there doesn’t seem to be a better photo to disguise as my family picture than this one.
However, with Erekaya becoming this anxious, it did feel a bit inappropriate to ignore her concerns and keep the photo.
‘Then I have no choice but to propose a compromise.’
Erekaya was worried about how familiar the figures in the photograph appeared, while Jin was focused on the fact that their hair was black.
So, isn’t there a compromise that could be negotiated here?
When Jin suggested the “compromise” he had come up with, Erekaya sighed and ultimately agreed to his suggestion.
—…Tch, you really are a man who doesn’t listen to others. Do as you wish. Following your suggestion, at least I think we can avoid the worst-case scenario.
Now that Erekaya had agreed, there was no need to discuss it further. Just as Jin was cautiously reaching for the photo to make the “modification”—
Knock, knock.
A knock echoed from the door. Jin responded absentmindedly to the knock.
“Oh, I’ll be right out. Just a moment.”
Now that he thought about it, it seemed to be the time when the maid came to clean the room. Jin flipped the photo face down on the desk and opened the previously locked door—
“…Oh.”
Standing outside was not the maid, but someone Jin never expected.
“Hello.”
“…Oh, uh. Yeah, hi.”
The person standing at the door was none other than Erekaya Del Pendragon herself.
And upon seeing Erekaya, Jin found himself momentarily stunned.
…Wait, this is all fine, but why is she here?
We haven’t even established any kind of relationship yet!
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