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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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The frenzied praise directed at me continued for quite a long time afterward.
I wasn’t entirely comfortable with it, as I hadn’t won solely with swordsmanship.
In fact, I had used magic too, so it felt like cheating in many ways.
But since it was a matter I could keep to myself by just staying quiet, I went along with it and responded appropriately.
However, as I endured this for a while, the class eventually ended without properly continuing, just as I had expected.
No, what was Gidley thinking?
He’s the professor, so how could he get swept up in this too?
Perhaps it was because he was strangely lax in such areas that Radnelband was so strict.
“I’ll find you later, so just wander around for now, Eldmia.”
Siegfried moved on to the next class with a very cheerful laugh.
Seemingly not having expected such a reaction at all, even the three women who had been sticking close to the hero wore puzzled expressions as they followed him.
As I quietly watched this, Lagnis approached me and asked:
“Why is he pretending to be friendly? It’s annoying.”
She was in a state of subtle irritation, having been pleased with winning, but then seeing that the hero didn’t seem to be particularly affected.
“He might be more normal than we thought.”
“…Did you exchange words after the duel ended? During that time?”
“We’ll need to talk more to be sure, but… about half of that seemingly dissolute behavior appears to be an act.”
Of course, that didn’t mean his lack of swordsmanship basics or his slight shortage of common sense was also an act, but it was clear that Siegfried was taking his position very seriously.
There was no need for doubt when seeing how he reacted immediately at the mention of the Empire.
“Hmm… By the way. You won?”
“His basic abilities were on a level I couldn’t even dream of matching, but his fundamentals were severely lacking. He probably never felt threatened when facing monsters or bandits, and it was sufficient enough among students within the academy, so that’s probably why.”
Being a reincarnator, there was a possibility that he had been immersed in magic during his time being educated at the academy.
I too had tried to learn magic first when I was young. If he had competed even once with someone strong enough to feel the difference, he might have realized…
Whether they intentionally left him in such a situation or cherished him as the hero, I still had no way of knowing.
“I wonder why the Empire, which puts so much effort into education that they even create such an amazing training ground using spatial magic, would leave a weakness in the hero.”
Everything that came to mind only led to the conclusion that they intended to use the hero, so I looked at Lagnis to ask for her opinion, but she just stared at me with a furrowed brow.
Why, why are you looking at me like that?
“You noticed that? The magic dispelling. I think I’ll have quite a few things to ask you today.”
Ah.
That’s because I could see the color, so others probably wouldn’t notice.
“Let’s follow the class for now and talk later.”
“…Do we have to talk later?”
“Of course.”
It wasn’t particularly something I couldn’t tell her, but there were too many eyes on us right now.
By the way, how should I describe this?
Should I call it something like a Mana Eye?
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The academy classes wrapped up around 4 o’clock.
Although we had to endure being pestered by students to the point of exhaustion, due to the rumors spreading about defeating the hero and casting spells without chanting at every class we attended, we were able to safely finish our first day at the academy.
“The academy I knew wasn’t like this…”
Unlike me, even Lagnis, who was in the midst of experiencing the Royal Academy, had reached the point of collapsing, unable to overcome the cultural differences.
In the end, we, thoroughly exhausted, were consuming coffee and sugar at a dessert café enthusiastically recommended by the female students during our ordeal.
“Compared to the Empire, the Kingdom was just a rural village.”
“As a noble, I’d like to deny that, but I have nothing to say.”
The coffee here cost one gold coin, and a small cake cost two.
Moreover, both were of a quality that even satisfied my somewhat refined palate, thanks to my memories from my previous life.
In the Kingdom, you’d have to pay at least 6 gold coins for a slice of cake like this.
And coffee, which was more like muddy water compared to this, would typically cost two gold coins.
No wonder I ended up just carrying coffee beans around.
“I guess when the land is big, everything is different. I wonder if the Kingdom will benefit when there’s an overflow of surplus goods?”
“…Where did you study such things when you didn’t even attend the academy?”
“There are ways.”
Of course, even if such methods truly existed, I didn’t know them. It was just memories from my previous life.
Realizing that I had no intention of giving a detailed explanation, Lagnis made the displeased expression she had been showing frequently lately, and changed the subject.
“More importantly, explain what happened in the training ground earlier.”
“It’s a sensation that’s quite difficult to explain concretely, but…”
Since I was talking to Lagnis anyway, I told her everything as it was.
There was no need to hide it, especially since she already knew I was someone who manipulated mana, rather than aura.
In fact, sensing mana involved all five senses, not just sight, but I only explained the visual aspect as it was the easiest to describe.
“So… you can see the flow of mana in that color, and when magic is used, you can see the mana being drawn into the spell being cast?”
“That’s about right.”
“And you can just cut it if you see it?”
“Not quite. I need to apply some technique to the sword, like enveloping it with mana, before I can cut it.”
“Is it difficult?”
“It’s a bit tricky. It was easier in the training ground, but that might have been because the sword was part of the illusion, so it was part of the mana.”
I had tried several times with my new sword, but it didn’t work as quickly.
“Then, would it be possible with just mana or aura envelopment?”
“I’m not sure? I can’t properly sense either aura or mana. But even if you could cut it, it would be difficult if you can’t see it, right? It flutters like threads blowing in the wind, it’s annoyingly fast.”
Things like Dispel or directly interfering with spell formulas to disrupt magic are common enough to be used in magical duels between mages, but I haven’t heard of anyone being able to do it like I can.
If it could be done just by enveloping with mana, there should have been rumors of someone accidentally disrupting a spell or two while swinging an enchanted sword, and researchers would have emerged to study it.
But there were no such stories.
Besides, it was an established theory that it’s impossible to envelop weapons with aura, so there’s no point in considering that aspect.
“Even I only recently learned that this kind of thing was possible with weapons. I don’t think anyone could imitate this with the common knowledge which you and I know, even combined.”
“…That’s a problem in itself.”
It was obvious what Lagnis was worried about.
She was concerned that various groups might eye me to determine my value and investigate the truth behind this newly emerged technique.
But I hadn’t carelessly shown off such a thing without any thought.
“We can just lie and say there’s a Dispel spell loaded on the sword, that’s all.”
“Even so, such an obvious lie? The rumors must be spreading like wildfire already, would anyone believe that?”
“Even if thirty students and a professor all say they saw it, there would be plenty of people who would doubt it first. These things often turn out to be not as significant as they seemed. It was just something that was well-hidden. If we just keep it low-key and don’t react much, most of it will be resolved.”
Gidley, for one, would handle it at Radnelbandes’ level, so the remaining rumors would just leave people wondering, “Oh, was that how it was?” as time passed.
Rather than discovering something entirely new after even defeating the hero, it would be more realistic to think that I had prepared for the battle meticulously.
“You seem to be taking this too lightly…”
“Come on, just trust me. By the time we leave, they’ll only be interested in the fact that I defeated the hero, and the magic dispelling won’t even be mentioned.”
Although somewhat reluctantly, Lagnis finally nodded in agreement. As we were finishing our coffee while chatting about trivial matters, the café door opened, and a familiar voice was heard.
“Eldmia! Shall we talk over a meal?”
Siegfried, who appeared with women on both sides and even one more behind him, approached me with a boldness that paid no attention to the surroundings.
I wish he would at least stop groping the girls’ chests and bottoms as he walked over, even if he doesn’t care about appearances.
Lagnis was getting terribly embarrassed.
“Sigh… Hero. No, this isn’t just the hero’s problem. Ladies, are you really okay with being fondled like that in public?”
Earlier he had the nun and Esselua with him, and now he had Esselua and an elf.
Seeing that he always kept Esselua close, I wondered if she was his main partner.
Of course, that didn’t matter to me… but what drove me crazy was that they seemed equally unbothered by my comment.
“If Sieg likes it, I’m fine with it. Well, it’s a bit embarrassing, but I prefer this to caring about others’ gazes.”
“I don’t particularly mind either.”
The elf and Esselua answered without even changing their expressions, while the nun just nodded silently.
This is really driving me crazy.
“Kid. This is the dignity of the hero. Still, out of respect for the Margrave and you, I’ll let it slide this time.”
“S-Sieg?”
“Did you get hit wrong during the fight earlier?”
Instead, when Siegfried removed his hands from the two’s bodies and exaggeratedly showed respect, the three women opened their eyes wide in shock.
What kind of life has this guy been living in this other world?
“Anyway. Let’s eat first.”
The guy laughed with a “Hahaha” still had a fierce smile, but unlike before, it was closer to a hearty impression.
And it seemed I wasn’t the only one who felt that way, as Lagnis was also quite taken aback by Siegfried’s completely different attitude from earlier.
It seemed to be because there was no hostility or irritation left in that attitude.
“Sieg. If you say it like that, others won’t understand. What is this ‘bap’ you keep calling meals?”
“Ah. Right. No matter how much time passes, I can’t fix it. It’s a meal, a meal. I’ll treat you.”
I might not know much else, but this guy is definitely Korean.
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Where does he call the meal a bap-?