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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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‘The new students this year are quite skilled.’
‘Yes. It is said there are four who have reached the 4-Star level. However, the one the Mage asked you to look into…’
‘You mean Lockstryn?’
Though he had lived a life far from nurturing the next generation amidst the dust of the battlefield, Kanin had exactly one disciple.
Coltman Aindarok.
He came from a renowned family that everyone acknowledged, so it would have been fine for him to learn from his own father.
Yet, he had deliberately come all the way to the southern allied front, the opposite end of the country from his own domain, to find him.
At first, Kanin had naturally intended to refuse.
‘I will not leave.’
Coltman was a genius.
Kanin was a man who worried deeply for the security of his country, and he couldn’t bear to let Coltman’s brilliant talent go to waste, so he taught him for three years.
That impudent face was still vivid in his mind.
Deep, blue eyes that seemed to say, ‘You have no choice but to teach me.’
That was already fifteen years ago.
‘Yes, that Lockstryn Aindarok. No matter how I look at him, he is ordinary.’
‘Ordinary?’
‘I was being generous. It means that among all the results of the Aindarok family descendants who have taken the Somerbadge entrance exam, his was the worst.’
‘Is that so.’
‘Perhaps God is indeed fair.’
There was no rule that a son must resemble his father, but Kanin couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment.
The Northern Rampart.
Because the previous head of the Aindarok family had passed away early, the weight Coltman carried was immense. He would have no time to leave his post.
But if it was his son, that was a different story.
Coltman was still young, and there was plenty of time for his son, Lockstryn, to grow into a respectable magic-user.
Coupled with his mystical appearance, public expectation—especially that of the Magic Society—had reached a fever pitch.
‘Do not speak carelessly.’
‘That goes without saying.’
‘I mean it was a statement that should not have reached my ears either. I am but a visiting lecturer.’
‘A-a lecturer! That’s not true at all.’
Somerbadge’s entrance exam scores were managed in secret. Kanin gave the professor who brought the information a light scolding.
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“The barracks fell silent in less than ten minutes.”
Again,
The grand lecture hall became as quiet as a mouse.
If Weirein’s orientation was a forced silence, this was a voluntary one.
Not a single speck of mana was needed.
With just a story, he had silenced the mouths of those unruly children.
“…Right.”
Kanin, too, was speechless for a long time.
He had intended for it to have some effect, but what Lockstryn had witnessed was a catastrophe beyond that.
He felt sorry for it, yet he was also pleased. If the professor he had scolded had been beside him, he felt he wouldn’t have been able to resist saying it.
‘Did you say God is fair?’
A smirk escaped his lips.
As if.
Those who were held hostage as descendants of a weak kingdom, the slaves in the mining villages with whips lashing their backs at this very moment. And those who were driven to that barren land.
Were they cursed or something?
‘God plays favorites.’
He couldn’t possibly be ordinary.
Lockstryn Aindarok.
The eyes of that young wolf must have surely resembled his father’s.
“Thank you. You may sit down now.”
In any case, what was intended to be a moderate scare had ended up causing a panic.
He could see children trembling in their seats throughout the lecture hall. Kanin let out a light, dry cough.
“Ahem. Not all battlefields are like that, but not a few are.”
An undeniable fact.
Already, several forward posts had retreated and lost their function. The accumulating damage drew a meaningful curve day by day.
“We are short on manpower. The number of monsters has increased rapidly in recent times. Compared to ten years ago, it has doubled.”
The catastrophe Lockstryn witnessed must have been just before the report on this matter spread throughout the Imperial Army.
After that, the Empire immediately doubled its border defense forces. However, kingdoms other than the Empire and Rhyden did not have such leeway.
“I submitted a research report stating that if we mobilized half of each country’s academy faculty and the elders of the Magic Society to the front lines, the damage would be reduced to at least 30% of what it is now, but it was not accepted.”
Karnin smiled bitterly.
A senile old magic-user, crazed for battle, who believes the sublime development of magic lies not in safety.
At some point, such a nickname had started to circulate behind his back.
“We cannot see the future. We cannot declare which side is right, so it cannot be helped. The choice has been made.”
In the end, Kanin withdrew from the front lines and accepted the professorship at Somerbadge, which he had postponed for over a decade.
“I apologize for the burden, but these are words that must be conveyed with certainty.”
With a benevolent yet powerful voice, Kanin’s wrinkled finger pointed forward.
“The continent.”
“The future of humanity.”
“Has been placed on you.”
Early morning.
“I’m a firefly~♪”
The grounds of Somerbadge are beautiful, but if you had to pick one place that wasn’t, there is one.
“I have no friends~♬”
This very training field.
Even the brilliant scent of spring couldn’t reach this place, where dust from the sand kicked up in clouds.
The setting was that a knight academy was once here in the early days of its establishment, but it separated not long after, leaving only the training field, which magic-users had no use for.
I hummed a tune as I ran around the track.
“Pant, pant… Keck!”
But after three laps, I was exhausted.
I couldn’t breathe.
“Aigo, I’m gonna die.”
I’m going to die from this.
I had once again overlooked the Stamina Level 3.
This “average” was the average for academy freshmen. And the default setting for a magic-user is “weakling.”
“Uweck.”
There was no such thing as the dignity of a nobleman.
After barely managing to complete three laps, I laid flat on the dirt ground.
There was no one here anyway.
The supply warehouse with its rusty doorknob was unused, and magic-users generally didn’t do physical training. What was consumed when using magic was not stamina, but mana and mental power.
If there was no need to run around busily, there was no reason to build up stamina.
In other words, I, who always had to run around busily, had to build up my stamina.
“Hyaaah.”
After a short rest, I got up again.
Thirty laps a day.
It’s a close call, but in about three months, I can aim for Level 5. The default setting was Level 3, but it’s not fixed, so it does grow.
My throat was parched, so I drank some water.
“「Io (Water)」”
Trickle, trickle, trickle!
I cupped my palm over my mouth and chanted the spell. A chunk of mana drained away, and a handful of water flowed out.
Though a modest result of my efforts, I was now able to use magic.
In the first place, I was only at an average level, not completely without aptitude.
However, my attribute wa still blank.
The fact that I can’t get a bonus to an attribute is a shame, but that in itself presents other opportunities.
Rather, I was facing a completely different problem.
If I subtly turned my eyes.
‘When is she going to leave.’
I thought there would be no one here, but someone appeared around the tenth lap.
She was wearing a Somerbadge student robe, so she was a student.
I always wore a hood when I went outside the tower, so I thought it wouldn’t be a problem.
“Haaam.”
Even now, as I took a short break after completing the twenty-seventh lap, she hadn’t left her spot. She looked bored, even yawning.
If she were some nobody, I could just ignore her, but she wasn’t.
‘Of all people, why her?’
Euria Marshuhma.
This girl, the princess of the Marshuh Kingdom, is also a main character in [Academy Somerbadge] who greatly influences the story.
But right now, I’m in a state where I shouldn’t have contact with others. Especially if they’re a woman.
I thought she would disappear on her own if I just ran around the training field for a bit, but what’s this. She’s been holding her ground for over an hour.
‘I can’t just ignore her either…’
It goes without saying that I need to build good relationships with the main characters of the episodes.
Because of this face of mine, I’ve made eye contact with her several times already. Isn’t it far from polite to just leave as if nothing happened?
Euria is the princess of a nation.
In a way, I need to be more careful with her than with Ainim, as Euria is second in the line of succession.
“…Hoo.”
After completing all thirty laps.
I wiped my sweat with the towel I brought and straightened my clothes.
“Nice to meet you for the first time.”
I approached her and spoke first.
Euria, who had been sitting in the shade of a tree, slowly rose.
‘Oh.’
Her appearance was faithful to her setting.
I was quite impressed. I had never seen silver hair in real life. It was a mystique that contrasted with Ainim’s splendor.
Because of her trait ‘Winter’s Blessing,’ she was bundled up from head to toe all year round, so I could only see half of her, but that actually added to her mysteriousness.
“Um…?”
But instead of answering, Euria passed right by me and headed towards the training field where I had been running.
She stopped a little distance away.
“This is where I practice.”
“Pardon?”
“Don’t come here anymore.”
“…What?”
Then she strode off towards the training field.
I had made her personality a bit colder, but in the script, it’s not this severe. In short, I was completely ignored.
Considering Euria’s traits, it might be natural, but I feel uneasy.
‘I do need to get close to her.’
Should I watch her for a bit? There’s no one else around, so it should be fine.
She said this is where she practices. What does she use this training field for? Is she going to do physical training like me?
‘It’s magic.’
I wondered what she was doing standing in the middle of the training field, but judging by the flow of mana, it seemed she was planning to practice water-attribute magic.
Seeing that, my resentful feelings disappeared completely.
Everyone easily calls others geniuses, and they certainly show results worthy of it, but behind the scenes, there is always painstaking effort.
I know it well.
In [Academy Somerbadge], there are no main characters who are lazy in their efforts.
“Sigh. Work hard.”
I let out a light sigh and turned away.
I have no desire whatsoever to interfere with the main characters’ growth.
‘It’s extreme training.’
Water-attribute magic can only be used smoothly when there is a certain amount of moisture in the air.
Throughout the Somerbadge grounds, there are trees lining the paths, and they are managed by top-class gardeners, so problems rarely occur.
But this training field area is an exception, lacking in moisture. The earth is dry, and the forest is far.
The results of practicing in this harsh situation will undoubtedly be doubled… but.
I hastily stopped in my tracks.
That moisture in the air.
Didn’t I use it all up earlier?
“Huck.”
I knew this would happen.
When I returned, sure enough.
Euria had fainted, her pretty silver hair scattered messily on the sandy ground.
I know well that this is what happens when you try to force the use of magic when the conditions aren’t right. She’ll probably be stuck like this for two or three hours.
‘Should I call the first aid team…’
No, getting involved with anyone else right now, in any way, is not good.
Then should I just abandon her?
It’s not like Euria will die from exposure, but if she’s left like this, her body will probably be under great strain. Because of ‘Winter’s Blessing.’
After some thought, I made a decision.
“Sorry about this.”
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‘…That is the only way.’
‘The Empire, you say? Are you in your right mind? The reason we’re in this state is because of them!’
‘Somerbadge should be fine. If we leave things as they are, we don’t know what might happen. Fortunately, the Princess also has an aptitude for magic.’
‘We don’t even know if she will be accepted. My daughter can’t even get close to other people.’
‘I will take care of that part. I have connections in the upper echelons of the Imperial Magic Society.’
Euria opened her eyes.
It couldn’t even be called a nightmare anymore; it had become so matter-of-fact that it could just be called a memory.
She recalls the faces of her father and mother and the servants in her close yet distant kingdom, and the minister she can no longer meet.
It’s a memory from her childhood when she only played with dolls, but sometimes it’s bothersome how it doesn’t fade.
‘…I overdid it.’
She admitted it immediately.
For some reason, the training she did every day felt completely blocked today.
Even so, she could have just given up for a day or practiced other magic, but she had pushed herself too hard.
‘The weather wasn’t good either.’
A big mistake.
In spring, there are times when the temperature drops sharply. Having collapsed on the training field like that, it would be difficult to practice magic for a while.
This cursed body has very little warmth, so if she fell asleep on the dirt ground like this, her body would quickly be ruined.
Should I check my condition first? Euria tried to get up.
Rustle.
“…?”
Something was covering her body.
It was more than enough to cover her entire body, and it was piled up so much that it was heavy.
[Somerbadge Monthly, Issue 594]
[Somerbadge Monthly, Issue 592]
[Somerbadge Monthly, Issue 591…]
What is this?
Student newspapers were piled on top of her.
Without exaggeration, there were dozens of them. Euria cleared the newspapers piled on her face and got up.
It wasn’t the cold training field either.
It was a flower bed with good sunlight. For someone who had collapsed so helplessly, her scarf was also properly wrapped around her.
It seemed someone had moved her.
“Is it him…”
That weird guy who was panting like a crazy dog and running around the training field.
It wasn’t even exercise; it was overexertion like no other.
I didn’t see his face clearly, but I didn’t forget the name tag I saw once.
Lockstryn Aindarok.
I have no connection with the nobles of Longleat, and since I am a second-year, we won’t really run into each other. I’ve only heard the rampant rumors.
“What a strange kid.”
Seeing the newspapers with their ends crumpled from being carried all at once, a small laugh escaped her.
It was a laugh after a long time.
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Good Man