CH 5

In the morning, I finished the Basic Magic Introduction orientation. The contents themselves were easy to understand, perhaps thanks to having played <Marchen’s Magic Knight>. It didn’t say much, though.

After class, I headed to the student cafeteria for lunch.

“Hey, that person.”

“Is he that E-class guy from yesterday? Really, how did he get in here?”

“He’s not good enough…”

Sitting alone at a table and eating my 50-gel lunch, I could hear whispers directed at me from another table. A mockery.

They didn’t even try to lower their voice as if it was meant for me to listen.

I felt it, but it seems the fact that I was an E-class in magic power was spreading among the students.

As befits an academy that advocates the rule of thumb, students tended to look down openly if they had someone to look down on.

It was unavoidable because I was an E-class weakling. My level was even lower than that of Ian Fairy Tail, who had the same E-class magic power, so it was no different from being the weakest.

In other words, practically, I can’t beat anyone here.

‘Let’s ignore it.’

Today was the 4th day since I came to this game world and as expected, I couldn’t go back to reality even if I fell asleep normally.

I have to stay here after all.

So, if I hate the students for no reason, it will only make my academic life difficult. It’s best to ignore them.

Anyway, I had to devote all of my time to training from now on, meaning I had no time to worry about anything else.

This morning, I had some time before my morning class this morning, so I jotted down my plan on parchment. I had to recall my previous memories of playing the game to do so.

Priority.

I was thinking of aiming for the Head of the Department.

Grades are an intuitive indicator of how strong I am. At least among my colleagues, I have to become the strongest. Luce is a high wall, but I will surpass it.

As a side note, there was no option to get a low grade. If I fail repeatedly, I’ll be expelled. Then I’ll be kicked out of the academy, and everything will be ruined.

And later, I plan to go find the legendary weapon, ‘Hilde’s Frost Scythe’.

Hilde’s Frost Scythe is the final Ice attribute weapon, and in the original game, it can be obtained after the 2nd year’s 2nd semester. But since I’m not Ian Fairy Tail bound by the story of the game, it doesn’t matter.

‘I want to get it before the end of the first year as much as possible…’

To obtain Hilde’s Frost Scythe, I must pass the ordeal given by ‘Ice Dragon Brynhildr’. And to do that, I need to raise [Ice Attribute Elemental Resistance] to at least 60.

Be strong enough to get Hilde’s Frost Scythe as soon as possible.

And according to the setting, in this world, you can only use up to two kinds of elemental attribute magic, depending on your constitution. The only exception is the power of fairies. 

I don’t know what elemental attribute Ian, who can currently use Light attribute magic, will choose from Fire, Water, Ice, Lightning, Rock, and Wind in the future. That’s because it was decided by the player’s choice.

If he chooses the Ice attribute, Hilde’s Frost Scythe will be his final target… sorry that’s mine now, I have nothing to give to a fucking newbie.

{T/N:- Is that how veterans treat a noob? Weren’t you a noob too in the beginning, mate?}

So I can only pray that he doesn’t choose the Ice attribute.

‘And I have to clear it.’

I’m going to get as strong as I can in order to win this game.

It is my specialty to achieve my goals through grit and hard work. It is my own asset that I have acquired through my life in high school.

I played <Marchen’s Magic Knight> during my spare time while I was in high school – after a day’s study, as a rest and reward.

Although, on my day off, I played it all day long, and after passing the exam, I continued to play it again.

And, now I’m in the <Marchen’s Magic Knight> game. It will be a long battle before the final goal is achieved.

I’ll do my best here, too.

“fufufufu, fufufu”

“Hey, is that kid laughing?”

Oh, I burst out laughing without realizing it. I seem to have been absorbed in myself.

Someone said something when they saw my smile, but I didn’t care.

After the meal, I was walking toward the classroom – 

“How are you?”

“… … ?”

– when suddenly someone greeted me from behind.

When I came to a halt and looked back, I saw a familiar female student with light green pigtails tied with black hair bands and two eyes the color of emeralds, a beautiful jade.

Kaya Astreane, the second-seat freshman at the Department of Magic, was dressed in her school uniform.

[Kaya Astreane]

Level: 90

Race: Human

Attribute: Wind, Ice

Risk Level: X

But… why is Kaya talking to me?

Is it to give advice like an old man to work hard because I’m an E-class brawler?

If it’s Kaya, that would be the case. Because she’s nosy.

“No. 25 of Temporary Class 3, right?”

Is it because of the impression that ‘E-class’ gave? She managed to remember my number.

“Ah yes. You remember my number?”

I just answered out of curiosity, but suddenly Kaya’s shoulders trembled.

“Ohh, I didn’t remember it because I was very interested in it…!”

She turned her head sideways and answered in a timid tone.

She looked embarrassed. She had a shy personality, so she reacts like that even if she was a little embarrassed. It was a kind of defense mechanism.

Wow, that’s very friendly. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen her so many times in the game.

I thought my father’s smile would spill out for no reason, so I just kept my mouth shut and looked at Kaya.

“Hmmm.”

Kaya cleared her throat and looked back at me.

“Do you remember me? The same temporary class 3… Kaya Astreane.”

“Yes, because you’re the second seat.”

“… … .”

Suddenly there was an awkward air.

What is this feeling? Was there anything strange about what I just said?

‘Ah.’

Oh right.

Kaya Astreane. She was the second daughter of the Duke of Astreane, who is in charge of the West of this country, Gerbert.

She was, in other words, a high-ranking aristocrat and there isn’t a single person who doesn’t know her.

On the other hand, I am a commoner without a surname.

Her status is too high for me to just say, ‘I remember you because you’re a second seat.’

It would have been natural if I had added something like ‘I remember you because you are from the Astreane family’.

Do I have to be polite now?

‘It’s an honor to talk to you…?’ No, it’s a bit too much.

“What is your name, by any chance?”

Thank God.

Kaya immediately threw away my troubles by asking questions.

“It’s Isaac.”

“Isaac…, Isaac…”

Kaya repeated twice as if to remember my name clearly.

I’m thankful for that reaction.

I felt like I made a mistake by forgetting the ‘daughter of the duke’s family’ part, but I didn’t have to worry about being bullied by Kaya. Because she has a good heart.

The problem was the students glancing at me and Kaya as they passed along.

I tried to infer the contents of the conversation by examining their lip movements.

‘Did Kaya talk to an E-class commoner…?’

‘Why?’

Is she here to say something because he’s an E-class?’

‘It’s Ms. Kaya. She came to say something ‘because he was pitiful’.’

It seems that their conversation was roughly going this way.

Anyway, the second-seat freshman of the Department of Magic, and the daughter of the Astreane family with B-class magic power.

The situation where she spoke to a guy who is the weakest freshman with E-class magic power and also has a commoner status.

What should I do…

It’s unnatural, but would it be better to bow down at a right angle and say, ‘Nice to meet you, M’Lady of the dignified Duke Family!’

“Isaac, I’ll ask you straightforwardly. Why are you hiding your identity?”

“···Huh?”

···What does this mean?

“What is it?”

“You can’t hide it from me. You’re hiding your identity, aren’t you?”

Kaya looked nervous.

What kind of bullshit is this.

···No way? Wait a minute.

‘··I get it.’

Kaya must have witnessed me defeat ‘Trevion of Evil’.

‘Could it be that then…?’

The next memory that came to my mind was yesterday’s magic power measurement time.

When Professor Fernando said something about ‘Archmage being able to deceive the maximum amount of magic power’, I remember the look Kaya had on her face.

If it is true that she witnessed the scene of defeating Trevion, then the expression on her face was quite convincing.

I showed overwhelming power over Kaya. However, according to the result of measuring the amount of magic power, it was the most insignificant E-class … Of course, it’s ridiculous.

…Wait, could it be that? Does she think I am a genius among geniuses who have reached the level of an Archmage?

“The state of an Archmage… You can hide your own magic power, right?”

Kaya ask quietly on purpose so that no one could hear.

My head was throbbing…

Kaya felt inferior to Luce, but she tends to harbor admiration for opponents whom she finds out of her reach. Perhaps I was seen as the latter.

She was a character that blindly follows such an opponent.

Yes. she looks straight and tough, but in reality, she is a fool among fools.

First of all, Kaya’s misunderstanding was difficult. For her sake, she shouldn’t have said things like ‘Isaac is actually strong’ from her mouth.

Because I had to be regarded as a ‘weak commoner’ by people unconditionally in the beginning.

As Isaac, I have a reason to be Mateo’s subordinate for a while.

{Just to jog up your memory a bit, Mateo here means ‘Mateo Jordana’ and he was mentioned in chapter 2. Mateo Jordana, who will play the role of an early villain, and help Ian Fairy Tail. He had his brown bangs up, his forehead clenched, and a strong physique.}

First of all, more than that.

‘The most dangerous problem is…’

Whether or not the fact that ‘I’ defeated the demon was reported to the school.

If reported, it will be a really, really dangerous issue.

‘… I guess not.’

But I concluded immediately that it was not.

If my contribution in defeating the demon had been reported, the academy wouldn’t have left me alone. I would have been awarded in a good way. 

In particular, ‘Alice’, one of the best powers in the academy and the president of the student council, wouldn’t have stayed still. If she had heard the news, she would have tried to approach me somehow.

If you look at the story of <Marchen’s Magic Knight>, Alice cannot touch Ian, the main character, rashly because he comes from the Fairy Tail Viscount family.

But, it doesn’t matter if she kills an insignificant commoner like me at any time.

In other words, Alice was quiet.

‘You didn’t say anything?’

Why is that?

Why kaya?

…I can’t help it when my head hurts like this. It seemed necessary to go along with the fool’s rhythm.

I was silent for a while, a momentary silence.

After closing my eyes and opening them, I sighed quietly and spoke with a serious expression.

“Is there someone whom you told about me?”

“…… !”

An age-old cliché, a chinta* that hides its power. In short, powerless. I decided to imitate the role.

{* a slang term for a clumsy, nerdy person or someone who doesn’t get along well with others.}

“There isn’t…”

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

“No, that, I reported to the school that demon appeared on the day of the entrance ceremony, but… I said I don’t know who killed the demon, on purpose.”

I tried to endure the tingling of my hands and limbs and looked at Kaya.

Perhaps understanding the flow of the atmosphere, Kaya was clearly nervous. She seemed to think that her guess was correct.

“Why?”

“Because you seem to want to hide your original power…”

‘Anyway, you noticed it. Thank you···.’

It’s a relief. It’s been ten years.

I almost put the game on flag properly once without knowing it.

I can roughly guess how the academy must have reacted to Kaya’s report.

In the setting of <Marchen’s Magic Knight>, demons are regarded as natural disasters. If it’s already been dealt with, there’s nothing more to look at.

The important thing is ‘student safety’. Well, since everyone was safe, they must have marked the victim, Ian, for a few days and finished it. 

For your information, the academy’s side is in a lot of trouble because so many demons appear in Marchen’s Magic Knight>. Not only is the principal or chairman held accountable for this or that, but it also causes quite a stir.

Nonetheless, the academy’s side somehow solves the problem so that it does not interfere with the academy’s curriculum. They don’t get much attention, but they’re probably the most troublesome roles in <Marchen’s Magic Knight>.

And by now, Alice must be paying attention to who defeated the demon.

She is not involved in the appearance of demons, so she does not know where and when they will appear.

However, she knows, to an extent, that it was Nephid’s will to create new demons.

Nephid’s goal is simple. Eliminating factors that could be a threat to him.

So Alice has no choice but to be wary of the one who defeated the demon.

‘Let’s maintain the atmosphere for now.’

I closed my eyes and let out a deep sigh on purpose. I pretended to be annoyed.

“You said Kaya, right?”

“Yes,Yes···?”

I opened my eyes again and glared at her with an icy stare.

“Don’t tell anyone about me.”

“…….”

Kaya froze.

She resembled a cornered deer, trembling before a beast trying to devour her.

She was weak in front of someone who shows overwhelming skill than herself.

…Let’s stop here.

If Kaya takes the fiancee route, she’s imaginative enough to guess every word from Ian, so she’ll think badly of herself.

I quietly left the place.

I had to run away before Kaya regained her senses and said anything. Now that it’s like this, I shouldn’t reveal my bottom line to her.

Luckily she just stood still with a frightened face.

We spoke quietly, so the students who were watching us shouldn’t have heard.

‘But can I just say this?’

Well, it’ll be fine.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

“I was right…”

Kaya trembled like an aspen tree as she stood still.

Like a lamb that felt the fear of death in front of a wolf, she shuddered.

The strength in her legs gave way, and it seemed as if she would collapse at the slightest movement.

Her heart was beating wildly. An intense fear rushed in like a tide and gripped her whole body.

A warning… that was a warning.

Isaac’s red eyes were the vibrant colour of blood.

When the image of him crushing an unidentified powerful demon she had seen the day before merged with him, his hostility became very frightening. Isaac had to be someone who was hiding his identity.

Judging from the conversation earlier, he must have been pretending to be an underdog for some reason.

“What should I do···?”

Kaya blamed herself for trying to talk to Isaac.

To him… she was stamped…