“Then could you please start explaining? What exactly happened here?”
“······.”
Ludwig turned his back to me with his arms crossed and asked.
I think I’ve been caught.
Should I try to push back a bit?
“I’m not really sure. Wasn’t it you, professor, who stopped it?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Is that so? Then who on earth······.”
“Don’t you know best who did it? Schlus Hainkel.”
“What do you mean—”
“I’ve seen countless wizards who have experienced mana exhaustion. Don’t think you can fool my eyes.”
Ludwig clicked his tongue while glaring at my trembling legs.
He was Ludwig, who had served in the mage bombardment unit during the war.
He probably saw and experienced mana exhaustion to the point of being sick of it.
Indeed, trying to fool Ludwig regarding magic was an error from the start.
Now, there’s no other choice but to face it head-on.
“Is that so? As expected of the head professor. How about we make a deal?”
“A deal? Are you suggesting we make a deal right now?”
Ludwig’s face twisted in disbelief.
He looked as if he was saying, ‘You?’
“Yes. Let’s keep the fact that I suppressed the explosion a secret between us. In return, I’ll let you take credit for stopping it.”
“······.”
The students already assumed that Ludwig was the one who prevented the explosion.
If neither of us says anything now, it will genuinely appear that Ludwig was the one who stopped the explosion.
······Iris knows, but I don’t think she would blab about it with her personality.
“Why do you hesitate to become a hero?”
“Because I don’t think it’s the right time to attract attention.”
I’m already receiving a fair amount of attention, but it’s merely curiosity.
But once it becomes known that I possess mana on the level of a Majin, that curiosity could quickly turn into animosity.
It wouldn’t be absurd for the kingdom’s intelligence agency or noble families to view me as a potential threat and try to eliminate me.
Perhaps I could face daily terrorism similar to the previous poisoning incident.
So, it’s better not to become famous until I’ve sufficiently grown stronger.
It’s best for me to be seen as an inconsequential commoner who got lucky to enroll as the top student.
“So, you don’t want it?”
“······.”
Of course, I didn’t think Ludwig would help me without something in return.
If it were the usual Ludwig, he wouldn’t bother with the credit for preventing mass casualties.
But right now, he’s taking an exam for promotion in wizard rank. He had failed twice in a row and was trying for a third time, so he’d be quite desperate.
If it were revealed that Ludwig stopped this incident, it would definitely score him significant points on the exam.
It would be hard for him to refuse.
“Fine. I’ll accept that deal.”
I grabbed Ludwig’s outstretched hand.
His brow was furrowed, looking quite displeased.
So what are you going to do about it?
I managed to stand up with my quaking legs.
It seemed my mana had recovered enough to at least allow me to walk now.
“Then I’ll take my leave now, Professor.”
“Schlus Hainkel.”
“Don’t worry, Professor. I promise I won’t blab about stopping it later and tarnish your reputation.”
“Schlus Hainkel.”
“If you’re really worried, I could even swear a magic oath?”
“Stop repeating it three times.”
“······Yes. What is it?”
When Ludwig repeats the same phrase three times, it turns into chaos······.
I almost forgot that setting.
“There are no eternal secrets, you know that.”
“······?”
“When everything you’ve hidden becomes known, you will bear the full brunt of the aftermath.”
“······.”
“Enough. If you understood, just go.”
“Yes.”
I staggered up the stairs and exited the lecture room.
Leaving Ludwig, who was still standing with his arms crossed, behind.
‘Eternal secrets do not exist…’
Is this really the time to worry about me?
If the secret gets out, it will be Ludwig who bears the shame of having robbed a student’s achievement.
Or wait, could it be that he was in favor of me while being prepared for such a situation······?
‘No way.’
I never remembered setting Ludwig as such a devoted educator.
He must have some ulterior motives.
I shook my head and walked through the corridor, heading outside the building.
But I felt like I was forgetting something important. What was it again?
“Ah.”
Battle Magic.
The first class is scheduled for this afternoon.
I got so caught up in stopping the explosive artifact that I almost forgot about it.
Right now my mana······
[Remaining Mana Amount: 5]
I’m in trouble.
*
Lichtenburg Mansion.
After returning from the commotion at the Imperial University, Erica headed straight to Julia’s room.
“Ughhhhh…Listen, Julia. I almost died today!”
“On the first day of classes?”
Erica sighed heavily and collapsed onto the bed.
Julia’s legs felt thinner than before as they brushed against the blanket, and Erica held back tears.
To hold back tears, putting on a cheerful facade was the best strategy.
“There was an explosive artifact hidden among the mana stones. That’s why the Imperial University is in chaos right now. They’re trying to catch the culprit.”
“Oh my. Are you hurt anywhere, sister?”
“Uh-huh. I’m fine.”
When Julia suddenly grabbed her hand, Erica smiled and replied.
The truth is, her tailbone still hurt a little from falling off the platform, but she decided not to mention it. It would be too embarrassing.
“But you won’t believe how ridiculous it was.”
“What was it? What was it?”
“You remember Iris? From before… Oh.”
Erica suddenly shut her mouth.
It was a story from when Julia could still walk.
“Yes. I met her when I was attending the magic academy. She was quite impressive… I heard she was appointed as a saint recently?”
“Uh-huh…”
But Erica couldn’t be gloomy in front of Julia, who was acting casual.
Swallowing the tears that felt like they would burst forth at any moment, Erica donned her smile once again.
“Iris, that girl… Ah, you’ve heard of Schlus too, right? Schlus Hainkel. The rumor is he’s a commoner who’s the top of the school.”
“Schlus…”
Upon hearing the name Schlus Hainkel, Julia’s eyes widened.
But when Erica turned to look at Julia, her expression had reverted to normal.
“I thought those two had never met, but suddenly they were hugging during the commotion!”
“Were they perhaps catching each other before falling or something?”
“No, no! I was watching closely, thinking the same! But they were holding each other for, like, several tens of seconds! With their faces buried in each other’s chests!”
“······.”
For a brief moment, Julia’s expression twisted.
But Erica, excitedly recounting the story, failed to notice.
“Hah… Haha… I guess that can happen. They say people can fall for each other at first sight, right?”
“Iris? A commoner? No way. That’s just absurd.”
Erica waved her hand as if to dismiss the thought, but she fell into reflection.
The more she thought about it, the more plausible it sounded.
Iris had always lived revered as a saint by everyone.
If Iris, tired of that life, fell for a commoner who looked down on her and treated her rudely…?
“Ahhhh! No way!”
“What’s so wrong?”
Just the thought was horrifying.
Her dearest friend falling in love with a worthless commoner.
Moreover, Schlus was a scoundrel who sold his lifespan to a demon, someone who shouldn’t be associated with.
“No, no. It can’t be. I must be misunderstanding. It has to be that way.”
“If you’re really curious, why not just ask her directly?”
“What? No way! How could I ask that? What if I’m wrong? How embarrassing would that be?”
Watching Erica pour out her words like a machine gun, Julia wore a faint smile.
For Julia, who never had a reason to leave her room, Erica being her window to the world was simply a blessing.
“So what happened with that explosive artifact?”
“Oh, that. The explosion happened, but thankfully Professor Ludwig managed to stop it.”
“Professor Ludwig? How did he do that?”
“The artifact that absorbed mana equivalent to a load of mana stones exploded, but he blocked it using telekinesis. I was genuinely surprised; I didn’t know he could block such a huge explosion with telekinesis. I thought it would take about 30,000 mana to do that. Truly, the head professor at the Imperial University is on another level.”
“······.”
After a moment of calculation, Julia tilted her head.
“Erica, you’re mistaken. It wasn’t 30,000; it was 100,000. And…”
Something felt off.
100,000 is beyond the standard for an extraordinary human.
“Ludwig doesn’t have the ability to stop that.”
And for some reason, Julia knew that Ludwig’s mana was far below that level, a fact she had never even met.
*
“Damn it—”
I couldn’t help but curse as I looked at the bulletin board.
– The search of the battle magic classroom has concluded. Determining there is no threat of terrorism, the battle magic class will proceed as scheduled.
They are really going ahead with the class.
Just hours prior, an entire building nearly blew up in one of the most significant acts of terrorism ever attempted.
I don’t know if they’re brave or just clueless…
“Hah…”
One hour until class begins.
I sighed and made my way to the lecture room.
I regretted how I had unnecessarily expanded the campus in the past.
How could it possibly take 30 minutes to walk across campus?
*
“Hey! Our top student is here!”
“······.”
I hadn’t even stepped into the classroom yet.
Aintz greeted me brightly, waving his hand.
He must have publicly embarrassed me in front of everyone during the entrance ceremony.
Is it because of the setting where he endlessly wags his tail toward someone he has a good impression of…?
The concept of settings is indeed terrifying.
“Let’s go in. Want me to introduce you to my friends?”
Aintz almost casually put his arm around my shoulder before stopping.
Does he remember that I told him to take his arm off last time?
As Aintz and I entered the classroom, familiar stares fell upon me.
Contempt, disregard, suspicion, etc… It was a similar reaction to when I entered the elemental magic classroom earlier this morning.
“No.”
“Eh? You don’t want to?”
Aintz’s friends?
I think I might have scribbled a line or two about those kinds of people.
They were probably described as worthless, talentless trash filled only with vanity.
There’s no benefit to knowing their names.
The further I stay away from them, the better my chances of coming off well with the named heroes later.
But Aintz’s panicking expression was amusing, so I decided to toss him a bit of a carrot.
“Sure. I’m fine just knowing you.”
“Haha! Really? You finally see my true worth? Unlike those nobodies—”
That’s the problem with this guy.
He never stops bragging. You could say he’s overflowing with confidence or, on the flip side, he’s arrogant.
In the original story, he only corrects this after getting beaten by the protagonist. I wonder how I’ll handle it here…
I’m sure there will be a day when Aintz causes a mishap. When that happens, I’ll have to catch him and show him the right way.
And if he still doesn’t get strong after that, I’ll just cut ties.
I turned away from the still chattering Aintz.
Suddenly, a familiar girl with green hair entered my sight.
Even without using “roll call,” I knew exactly who she was.
Edengard Trie von dem Schulzenburg.
The girl known as Trie, a mage, or rather a knight.
Despite barely making it into the Imperial University to become a mage, she possesses overwhelming talent as a knight.
In the original story, she becomes the best sword in the Empire and stays by the protagonist’s side.
She’s an essential named character that should not be missed if you want to see the ending.
“Everyone, attention.”
At that moment, a muscular man in one corner of the classroom stepped forward, holding a metal club… or maybe it was a metal pipe.
It was Professor Sergey.
He scratched his shoulder with what looked like a metal weapon and yawned.
“Since this is the first class, I’m assuming everyone’s here? So let’s skip the roll call and get right into it.”
“······.”
Why is he so laid back?
This would be typical if it were Sergey, who has a rough and tough personality.
In the original, they completely skipped the battle magic class on the first day to focus on the elemental magic classroom’s terror.
Even I, the writer, don’t know what today’s class will entail.
Nevertheless, since it’s the first day and he isn’t taking attendance, it probably won’t be anything too important.
Just some sort of orientation, I suppose.
“Today, I will conduct a basic test of your combat power.”
*Bam Bam Bam…*
Sergey grinned, hitting the ground with his pipe.
Then, with a tremor that echoed through the floor, something emerged from the ground.
…Now I understand why this classroom was flat.
“This is a training golem. Your friendly assistant to help with your test.”
There stood a stone figure at least two stories tall.
In other words, we’re supposed to fight that thing.
[Remaining Mana Amount: 50]
This is really a complete disaster.
[Quest: Destroy the Training Golem.]
[Difficulty: ★★★★☆]
[Reward: 4 Store Coins]
In the meantime, a quest popped up before me as if to mock me.
