CH 10

Characters in this chapter:

Sapphiras Perfectio, 2nd son of the Earl of Aldridge

Percival Belisario, 3rd son of Margrave of Vanderwall on the Eastern Frontier

Aurora Steinfeld, daughter of the Duke of Bloomfield

Casey Morgan, son of Viscount Stuart

Byron, the brave beastman, Fortis’ fellow hero comrade

Casey turned to look at me with intense hatred1 it refers to resentment over having a parent humiliated (or having a parent killed ) or the subject of such resentment..

After all, I’ve been mocked for having no magical power, and I’m getting a lot of attention in my magic classes. Instead of being expelled from the academy, I got the backing of the Duke of Bloomfield as a scholarship student. Besides, being disowned, I have nothing to do with Perfectio. If there was no tricks, there’s no way to make accusations.

I hope this is an opportunity to channel the urge to abuse others that was directed at me into something more positive.

My classmates still seem to be looking at me from afar, and I’m far from reaching my goal of 100 friends. Even so, Percival stays with me. Since we’re in different classes, he doesn’t always hang out with us, but we get along well and don’t mind being together. I don’t know if he feels the same way.

Anyway, I’m glad Percival was the first person I became friends with. Besides, Miss Aurora also calls out to me from time to time.

I think it’s an okay start for Sapphiras, who has been lonely up until now.

From the very beginning of my academy life, there were many things like that, but now I’m mostly living in peace. This is how I was having tea with Percival in the cafeteria after school.

I thought that the cafeteria only served food, but after learning that they serve tea and sweets after school, I often go there. Percival accompanies me and we enjoy tea time while reviewing assignments and lessons.

There were quite a few students who glanced at us from a table a little further away. Of course, their target is Percival.

I recently overheard that Percival is known as the Knight of the Sun. Everyone seems to like giving poetic nicknames, but Percival says that he’s been wielding a sword against magical beasts since he was a child, and I nodded deeply, saying that it makes sense to be called a knight.

In my previous life, I, Fortis, had travelled around the world as an adventurer, so I had a much more robust physique than I do now. Besides, he is quite a nice guy, so he is quite popular with both men and women. Very different from what I am now. If it was me from back then, I would have been able to compete well with Percival.

Sapphiras also has a beautiful face, but he is far from tough.

Glancing at Percival, the sun knight has a magnificent physique for a boy, unlike the skinny me.

A toned body clad in thin muscles with excellent explosive power. He has long legs and stands one head taller than me. Sparkling blonde hair.

My frail physique stands out even more when I’m side by side with Percival. I tried my best to build my body, but I’m not a very good eater so I can’t eat as much as I’d like. That’s why I stopped wasting my efforts early on. I was forcing food down my throat every time I ate, and my weak stomach started to scream.

When I felt sick after every meal, Percival told me to stop being reckless. I was told that at that rate, instead of getting bigger, I am putting the cart before the horse, and I agreed.

In the first place, the difference from the starting point with Percival is too great, and it’s impossible to make up for it now. Besides, I’m a magician, so I don’t need to be big……Yes, I don’t……

“…… what’s wrong?”

Percival, noticing my stare, tilts his head quizzically.

“No, I feel the unreasonable nature of the physique I was born with……”

“?”

“If you say that, then there are many people who think that Sapphiras-sama’s magic is also unreasonable.”

“Miss Aurora.”

Aurora, who appeared with a gorgeous smile on her face, seems to emit a holy magic aura and shines faintly. Whether it is Percival or Aurora, I wonder if shining people gather around me. It’s true that I have a dark complexion, so it would definitely bring out the brilliance of the two of them.

Such a faintly shining Aurora is in the same 1st year as me. I’ve only recently had time to get to know my surroundings, so there are many more things I know now.

“The other day, I heard that you performed some wonderful magic. There were rumours about it in my class.”

The day before yesterday’s practical magic lesson was about manipulating the shape of water that was summoned by oneself in order to learn the subtle manipulation of magical power. There are some students who learn from private tutors before going to the academy, so there are a lot of variations in their magic prowess. Students who are accustomed to magic can change the shape of the water to a certain extent, but students who are not accustomed to magic are drenched in water.

Needless to say, I have no intention of restraining myself. I showed off my skills in a very unpretentious way, performing water magic so spectacularly that I looked like a street performer at a festival. In fact, I’m a 14-year-old child now, so it’s not at all unpretentious. Naturally, everyone in the class who was shown a magnitude of magic that was so different from what they were used to were stunned.

It seems that my appearance was visible from the school building, and there was a bit of a commotion.

“Speaking of which, the field exercise is coming up soon, isn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

The field exercise is a training to face off against magical beasts in the forests owned by the academy. A few people form a team to exterminate the magical beasts, but of course the magical beasts aren’t real, they are pseudo magical beasts prepared by the academy.

All male students basically participate, but female students only participate if they wish. Aurora is one of the few girls to participate.　

“Miss Aurora will be taking part too, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I’m surprised the Duke gave you permission.”

The school has taken every precaution to ensure the safety of the sons and daughters of the nobility who will be taking part. That said, it’s an exercise in the forest at night. There is no guarantee that some unexpected accident will not occur. I think that His Excellency the Duke often gave permission to attend such dangerous classes.

“This kind of experience is necessary so that we can respond to unforeseen situations.”

“Heh…….”

Aurora is engaged to the country’s second prince. When she talks about contingencies, she’s referring to when something happened to the royal family. The King probably wants to bring her holy magic into the royal household. A holy magician like her should be an adventurer, but it’s really a shame. However, Aurora is a daughter of a noble family. She will probably never become an adventurer in the first place. Too bad.

“Percival is used to magical beasts, right?”

“Ah, I went out to subdue magical beasts in our territory.”

For Percival, who is dealing with real magical beasts in Vanderwall territory, the academy exercises are surely just for fun. I dealt with a lot of magical beasts when I was Fortis. But Sapphiras is different. I can see that Sapphiras, who doesn’t even know the world, is horrified. It’s true that magical beasts are scary. But it’s okay. I’m a great magician.

It will be my first time seeing a magical beast (in this life).

There’s nothing to worry about. Most students have never seen a magical beast before.

A few days after that conversation. The day of the exercise finally arrived.

The exercises started around sunset. The exercises are designed for nighttime subjugation. The goal is to enter the forest in groups of four or five and work together to defeat the pseudo magical beasts. The teachers have decided on the combination of the groups in advance so that the abilities of the groups are roughly the same.

I only have one friend, Percival, but I wonder if my ephemeral appearance is one of the reasons why I am so hard to talk to casually. Aurora advised me , so I decided to go with the strategy of talking to them first. I may look fragile and beautiful on the outside, but on the inside I’m just a good-natured boy. Once you’ve had a conversation with me, you’ll see that I’m an easy guy to talk to.

“Please take care of me today!”

The team members, who had been looking puzzled, relaxed their expressions when I raised my hand and called out to them lightly. The team members introduced themselves and we discussed how we were going to reach our destination.

“Right off the bat, what about our formation?”

“I’m better with a sword than with magic. I’ll be in the vanguard.”

“So you’ll become a knight in the future?”

“Yes, well,”

If I’m not wrong, the man who laughed shyly should be the eldest son of a baron. He’s a quiet boy, but I think he took his chosen swordsmanship class seriously. I see, in that case I’ll entrust him with the rear guard so that he can play an active role.

“Then I’ll serve as the rear guard.”

After discussing, we decided on two rearguards with three vanguards. As I was joking that since I was in the same team, I should pretend to be on a luxury liner, and as I unfolded the map and chatted, the teacher and Aurora came.

“Sapphiras-kun.”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry, but I want you to join Miss Steinfeld’s group.”

I looked at Aurora and saw two beastmen and a schoolgirl standing behind her. The schoolgirl is the daughter of a Viscount and Aurora’s lady-in-waiting. The beastman is, I think, an exchange student from the Kingdom of Worstitters. They were in different classes, so we had never exchanged words, but I heard a rumour that he is the son of a high-ranking noble. Aurora is probably their caretaker.

“I understand, teacher……I’m sorry, guys. We had the opportunity to end up in the same team, but let’s go round together again next time.”

Everyone sent me off with smiles, so the next time we see each other, we’ll at least exchange greetings. When I moved to our new group, Aurora introduced me to the beastmen exchange students.

“Clawis-sama, Rivera-sama, this is Sapphiras-sama. Sapphiras-sama doesn’t have a family name, but he’s an excellent academy student, fully supported by the Duke of Bloomfield.”

I bow my head in silence. It’s disrespectful for me, a commoner, to talk to you all of a sudden! No matter what I say, please don’t become an enemy.

“Sapphiras-sama, this is Clawis Garcia-sama and Rivera Hernández-sama. You know that they are exchange students from the country of Worstitters, who have come to deepen their friendship with our country, Solmontana.

“Of course.”

In other words, they are guests of honour and should not be treated with disrespect, but there are some students in this academy who are discriminatory towards beastmen, and you are not the kind of scum who would have such discriminatory thoughts, right? That’s what you mean.

In my previous life, discrimination against beastmen was stronger than it is now. Such discrimination still exists today.

They look a bit different from humans because of their beastly nature and they are also stronger. That alone makes people think that the beastmen are barbaric.

However, they are exactly the same on the inside as humans. Yet, there are those who discriminate against them based on their own assumptions. Some even claim that beastmen are attacking and trying to dominate humans. It’s ridiculous.

Most of the people who say such things are nobles. Nobles, for better or worse, respect the old. It would be fine if they only valued the good old things, but there are many who value bad customs and even ideas that have turned sour and are out of tune with the times.

In this respect, the beastmen are already good neighbours among commoners. Interaction with beastmen has long been a part of everyday life for ordinary people. In fact, if you get to know them, you’ll realise that the beastmen are not violent and are no different from you. In the first place, even among people, there are rowdy people. I think it’s the people who attack people and try to dominate them.

When I was Fortis, I had a beastman companion. Byron, with his wolf ears and tail, was a kind-hearted and strong man. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a beastman and I’m reminded of my former companion. It makes me feel a little sad.

“If you don’t like beastmen, you don’t have to join our team, right?”

I was a bit pensive, so he must have misunderstood me. The one who looked like a guard, Rivera, glared at me.

“Eh?……Ah, no, I’m sorry. When I saw you guys, I remembered an old acquaintance and felt a little nostalgic.”

“Did you know a beastman?”

Clawis, who seemed to be the master, changed the topic as if to change the flow of the air that was about to become harsh. Clawis seems to have a deep pocket2.

“Yes, he was an adventurer, a kind and strong man, but……I haven’t seen him for a long time now, so I wondered how he is doing these days.”

Clawis somewhat resembles Byron. He has greyish-silver hair and light blue eyes. Byron was a slightly darker grey though.

I wonder if Byron found a nice mate somewhere and lived happily ever after.

“I see……I hope I can meet him again somewhere.”

“Yes. But adventurers don’t settle down in one place. As long as he’s doing well somewhere, that’s all that matters.”

Well, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to follow in Byron’s footsteps someday. He was also one of the heroes. There must be a trace left of him behind.

melon: another long chapter 

And new friends?  I had a few options for the translation of Clawis’ name, but since he’s a wolf beastman, he should have claws right? 

親の仇 (oyakataki): lit translates to parent’s enemy, it refers to resentment over having a parent humiliated (or having a parent killed ) or the subject of such resentment.

refers to someone who has tolerance, no strange pride, and can consider their surroundings.