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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuzio
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Languages unique to each nation were a different concept from the common tongue.
Every country had its own language that locals primarily used, distinct from the common language spoken throughout the continent.
While the common tongue allowed for communication anywhere and eliminated the need to learn specific languages, using a nation’s unique language demonstrated interest in that country and helped build rapport.
I hadn’t specifically studied any particular language.
I didn’t need to.
Putting in the effort to communicate and be agreeable always led to successful negotiations in the end.
However, since the common tongue wasn’t used in the Demon Realm, I had picked up some of the demonic language spoken by demons.
I learned from books left behind by a few demon worshippers.
These days, knowledge of specific languages had become an essential skill for modern warriors.
This held true even for me, a mere academy cadet, and thanks to this, I found myself studying various national languages, albeit quite late in the game.
“This is so damn boring.”
I let out a heartfelt sigh as I skimmed through the book filled with magic-infused script.
To be honest, I never had much talent for languages.
Or rather, I should say I had no interest in them.
Back then, I was desperate to prove my worth, so I somehow managed to learn the demonic language.
But now, with the thought, “Why bother learning something so useless?” filling my head, I felt resistant to the very act of learning something entirely new, something completely different from the languages I’d already acquired.
To make matters worse, the lectures were discussion-based.
The basic activity involved students forming teams and engaging in discussions on a particular topic…
…in the specific national language.
“Ron, what are your thoughts on this issue?”
For the record, this discussion group consisted of the top student, the second-ranked student, me, and two other low-ranking students.
The selection was incredibly extreme.
Prieresil asked me, her eyes fixed on the paper in front of each of us—a sheet outlining the day’s topic and the team’s gathered opinions.
In the specific national language, of course.
“It would be pointless to even ask. I doubt he understands anything. Wasting your energy on this suspicious lump with no learning spirit is inefficient. Anyone can see that discussing it with me would be far more productive.”
Prion sneered.
In the specific national language, naturally.
To be honest, his sneer and his act of asking for my opinion were both based on his own assumptions after barely registering a few comprehensible words I’d uttered.
Which made it even harder to speak up.
The other two remained silent.
They seemed perfectly content to simply coast along with the top two students.
I had planned to do the same.
But Prieresil’s change in attitude made that impossible.
Prieresil, who had been ignoring me until recently, had done a complete turnaround after exploring the Labyrinth with Rain.
Now, she was making a conscious effort to engage me in conversation… in the specific national language.
And that made it even more unbearable.
To top it off, the topic was politics, something I had absolutely no interest in.
Why should I have an opinion on how dukes and barons govern their territories?
“What…?”
“Yes, thank you for answering.”
Despite my response in the common tongue, Prieresil nodded and thanked me. …In the specific national language, as always.
Prion, after glancing at her, turned to me and clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
“Hmph… Useless good-for-nothing… No spirit… no willpower…”
His muttering was clearly audible, but I couldn’t exactly deny it.
Technically speaking, my actions so far amounted to ignoring the whole “discussion” part of the group work.
That thought made me feel guilty.
Maybe I had been a bit uncooperative.
I decided to speak up.
“…What if I share my opinion… in the common tongue?”
“Oh. Sure, I’d like that.”
“The common tongue? Don’t you know this is a specific language class? Or perhaps you don’t understand the language at all? It’s been weeks, and you’ve shown no progress. Do you even want to learn?”
“…Prion.”
“Prieresil, we need to address this. I don’t know what happened between you two, but I’m extremely unhappy right now. Especially because of these three unmotivated individuals.”
He glanced at the three of us, but his words were clearly directed at me.
So what?
Did he think I’d back down?
I scoffed internally.
…But!
Even for someone as stubborn as me, it would be unwise to constantly contradict him and insist on my way.
I decided to compromise.
I slowly uttered a few basic words in the Fel Burn language, the easiest of the specific languages, conveying my opinion haltingly.
Prion, upon hearing my response, simply scoffed and proceeded to blatantly ignore me.
“Ha! How childish and shallow. And you can’t even speak the language properly. How did you even get into the academy? I’ll say it again, I despise those who lack willpower and only seek attention. Especially you.”
The classroom was already buzzing with discussions, so Prion’s taunts were somewhat drowned out.
That emboldened him further, and he continued to berate me, poking me in the chest with his finger.
The allotted class time was almost over.
With the two-week discussion coming to an end, the presentations were scheduled for the following week.
Once the professor announced the end of class, that would be it.
But before he could do so, the side effects of having my brain forcefully removed and brought back decided to act up.
As if declaring, “Ha! I can speak too, you know?” it took control of my body.
“=..=__.. .._”
I met the bewildered gazes of the four individuals staring at me, wondering why such bizarre sounds were coming out of my mouth.
I had no control over my actions, completely at the mercy of my instincts.
“I can speak the demonic language, you know.”
“…Excuse me…?”
Even Prieresil, who I’d considered somewhat favorably disposed towards me, seemed taken aback.
Prion, his eyes fixed on me, twisted his lips into a strange smirk.
…
From what I’d gathered, Prion excelled at exploiting weaknesses and mistakes.
And he knew how to use that talent to his advantage.
Of course, speaking the demonic language was a misstep on my part.
It was only natural for them to be surprised to hear the language of demons, associated with evil, coming out of a human’s mouth.
Anyone who had suffered at the hands of demons would feel repulsed and hostile.
However, Hidin, the nation where Prion Colson and his father, Edreon Colson, were born and raised, had never experienced the demonic invasion.
They had never been harmed by them.
“Did you all hear that? This guy just spoke the demonic language! He just uttered the vile language of demons! Do you even understand the implications of this?”
Prion, with exaggerated gestures, drew the attention of all the students, both upperclassmen and freshmen, and began to denounce me.
Prieresil tried to intervene and salvage the situation, but what’s done is done.
Moreover, it’s difficult to quell a mob fueled by agitation with individual efforts.
“I never liked that guy anyway.”
“Who knows what he’s thinking?”
“He spoke the demonic language? Where did he even learn that?”
“Learn? Maybe he’s a demon himself? Or perhaps he lived in the Demon Realm?”
“How did someone like that get into the academy? Did he brainwash someone?”
“Those bandages are suspicious, don’t you think? Maybe he has demonic eyes underneath? Three pupils in each eye?”
The whispers spread like wildfire, filled with loathing, mockery, and disdain. Whether it was true or not didn’t matter.
Several groups, initially formed for the discussion, now turned their attention to me, whispering amongst themselves.
Ha.
I scoffed internally.
Their scornful gazes and mockery couldn’t even scratch the surface of my heart.
If anything, this worked in my favor.
This incident, accidental though it was, could escalate the situation further, drawing attention away from me in the long run.
It could also help weed out those cadets who couldn’t control their emotions.
With that thought in mind, I decided to add fuel to the fire.
“So what?”
The classroom fell silent once again.
Academy cadets were mostly aspiring heroes, adventurers in training.
And adventurers, by nature, were hot-blooded individuals with a penchant for sinking their teeth into something…
Not literally, of course.
I meant that they craved something to tear down, both physically and mentally.
Why?
Because, based on my observations during my travels across the continent, nothing relieved stress better than badmouthing others.
Elevate oneself by tearing down others.
It was a simple act that brought pleasure, a sense of superiority, and ultimately, satisfaction.
A simple way to alleviate fatigue and stress.
Adventurers, constantly risking their lives, were prone to stress.
Therefore, stress relief was essential.
The academy was a microcosm of guilds and adventurer’s guilds, where adventurers gathered.
It had its own hierarchy, its own system of ranks and evaluations.
Hidin Academy, however, was established to nurture heroes.
They should have been capable of controlling such base emotions.
While speaking the demonic language was rare, it wasn’t unheard of on the continent.
Some individuals at the magic tower researched such things.
And I was a conspicuous target, with my mediocre grades and peculiar appearance.
Prion had already set the stage by inciting the crowd.
I had confessed.
Now all that remained were the subtle, or rather, not-so-subtle forms of harassment disguised as jokes.
Time passed.
The malicious whispers and bullying, spearheaded by Prion Colson, began to surface openly.
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[Ron spoke Bulgarian… what a horror]
