42 – The Situation of a Boy Who Was Ignored
A man speaks quietly.
“Guild Master, the retrieval team I sent last time hasn’t returned.”
The Guild Master of the Akir Guild lightly retorted while caressing his ring.
“Medicine?”
“All the medicine that those guys had is gone.”
In an instant, a massive surge of mana flowed from the hands of Guildmaster Akir and began to grip the man’s throat as if squeezing the life out of him. The man cried out in pain, but Akir eventually released his grip, and the man hastily spoke.
“I… I’ll find it. There’s a way to find it.”
Guildmaster Draco, with a tilted head, asked a question.
“How? And when?”
“W-well… There was a guy who recently purchased a large amount of medicine. He seemed like a half-penny who couldn’t use magic, and he disappeared after going to collect the medicine from that guy. I think there must be a connection, so I’ve sent someone to investigate. We have about… a week…”
“Grrr…”
Draco tightened his grip on the man’s throat once again, and the man, with a pale face, writhed in agony before falling to the ground.
Draco spoke.
“Three days. I give you three days to find and kill the traitors. And bring back the medicine they took.”
“Understood…”
Draco turned around and then asked a question.
“What was the name of that inspector who purchased a large amount of medicine this time?”
“Ka-el… As far as I know, his name is Ka-el.”
“Ka-el, huh? Never heard of him. Seems like he’s some scum who has no connection to the Guild. There’s no way he would have gotten caught, so if by any chance he’s still alive, get information from him. It’s a mess if those two scoundrels, Ka-el and the half-penny, escaped without collecting the massive amount of medicine.”
“Understood.”
— — —
As Macdarras walked, he had to keep an eye on the communication device. Well, it was because Fleamia kept contacting him.
holy trust: Have you arrived safely? Everything okay?
Administrator: Um. But things have gotten a bit complicated.
holy trust: What’s gotten complicated? It’s not something dangerous, is it?
Administrator: No, it’s not that. I’ll tell you later when we meet. It’s too long to explain over chat.
holy trust: Alright… Have you eaten?
Administrator: No. I’ll eat later.
holy trust: I’m going to eat with Ye Bin now. Oh, by the way, Ye Bin said something about you not reading the chat. She said you only reply to me and not her. It makes me feel good, but I think it might upset her… But I can also sense that you care more about me… Ah, I didn’t mean to talk about this… I’m just feeling a bit lonely today since I usually eat with McDeRas…
As I was not getting a response, Flemea contacted me again.
holy trust: How long until you come? Will you come tomorrow?
Administrator: It might take a little longer than that.
holy trust: Then will you come in two days? Can you let me know around what time you’ll come? I want to buy a gift before you arrive. Or if there’s something you want to eat, I can prepare it for you.
Administrator: I’m not sure about the details. Gifts or food are fine. Sorry, but I’ll contact you later.
holy trust: Wait a moment! I still have questions…
I cut the conversation short because it seemed like it would never end. It seems that Flemea’s dependency has eased, but it hasn’t been completely healed. But maybe it’ll get better if we’re apart. With that vague thought in mind, I looked around.
Based on the information in my diary, I arrived at Tristan Academy.
“This should be the right location.”
However, even though I had arrived at the academy, there was not a single person around.
“What should I do? Should I just go in?”
Although I was wearing the academy’s uniform and shoes that I found in Kael’s room, I had no idea where the classrooms were or where to attend classes. If it was before the start of the semester, I wouldn’t have known, but since it was already mid-semester, I was in a difficult situation where I had to find my way on my own.
“They should have written more details.”
I suddenly felt annoyed with Kael. But what could I do? I just passed through the gate without thinking too much about it.
From Noble mtl dot com
– Kiiiiing…
A strange detection sensor magic popped up and started inspecting my identity. It disappeared with a clear sound.
“I almost broke it.”
I almost completely bypassed the authentication magic that popped up without warning. It must have been a well-crafted magic, and removing it would be a hassle. I reminded myself to be careful as I slowly walked deeper into the academy.
“Where should I go?”
I absentmindedly looked at the massive building. Judging by its size, it could be inferred that Tristan Academy was quite prestigious even among its surroundings. It was overwhelmingly larger compared to other nearby academies, and it even had an automatic recognition system.
“If I stay like this, anyone could come.”
I wondered if I had no friends, and if someone recognized me as Cael, I naturally tried to blend in. It didn’t take long for break time to arrive, and many people started walking around.
“They weren’t here earlier because it was during class.”
I sent glances at passing individuals, but they treated me as if I were invisible. Occasionally, a few people met my gaze, but they openly twisted their expressions. At first, I didn’t understand, but after hearing some whispers, I quickly understood why they reacted that way.
[Is that the kid named Kyle? Why did he get accepted into Tristan Academy when he’s not even a mage?]
[I don’t know either. There’s no one else here who can’t even handle mana. I don’t know on what basis they let him in, but I guess everyone thinks he got in as a parachute.]
[What are you guys talking about? Parachute is nonsense. If he was a parachute, he would’ve relied on someone from the same class.]
[Now that I hear you, it’s true. Then why did they let him in? He’s an inferior guy who can’t use magic and only wields a sword.]
[By the way, why did he disappear for so long and only come out now? If he hadn’t shown up like this, our academy would have been a place for normal mages. You know our academy’s reputation has been bad lately because of him, right? It’s really annoying.]
“Ah…”
I started to understand. Cael took pride in his swordsmanship but never gave up his endless desire for magic.
The pill he unknowingly took, thinking it was a tonic. One of the reasons he swallowed hundreds, thousands of pills, believing they would help him learn magic, was also because of their gazes.
The words and actions of those around him were denying Cael’s existence itself.
Macdallas roughly observed the amount of mana the chattering individuals had.
“It’s so shabby and dirty.”
Even the expression “inferior” was an ambiguous amount of mana. It wasn’t even a clear color. Their mana was at the level of trainees who had just entered the tower.
“Let’s not pay attention to it.”
It didn’t seem like they had any intention of openly mocking me, especially since they were speaking in secret. If things got worse, I might have to teach them a lesson, but it wasn’t right to start a fight recklessly when I didn’t even know my class position properly.
Instead of fighting, I approached the ones who were gossiping about me behind my back. And I called them over and asked them. I thought they would definitely know something.
“Do any of you happen to know which class I’m in?”
“…?”
The employees looked at me in confusion and asked.
“Are you talking to us?”
“Well, if it’s not you, then who else is here?”
“…?”
The five employees exchanged bewildered glances and answered me.
“Why are you talking like that? Are you trying to imitate someone?”
It seemed like Kael’s way of speaking wasn’t as stiff as mine. Well, what can I do? I’ve only seen the way he talks in the community, so I can’t imitate real-life speech.
To avoid unnecessary suspicion, I came up with a prepared excuse.
“I had a minor accident and lost my memory. I remember the academy I attended, but I can’t remember what class I was in.”
Finally, I rolled up my sleeves and showed them the huge scar on my neck. By the way, the scar was originally on Kael’s body. I don’t know how it got there, but I decided to use it as a plausible excuse.
“Oh… that makes sense.”
“Yeah… if I had been beaten up that badly on the last day and looked fine, that would be strange.”
“Beaten up?”
Perhaps the others knew the cause of the scar, but they didn’t react or ask about it.
[The bullying from the classmates has been getting worse lately… It feels even more tormenting since they found out I like Leviah…]
This was written in Cael’s diary. It was clear that one of the classmates was responsible. Now I just needed to find out who it was.
“Do you know who did it?”
“Go to Class B.”
“Thanks.”
The two colleagues chuckled. But I ignored them.
As I tried to move, another person grabbed my arm. It was the guy with short hair, shaved like a monk, who had been silently standing with his arms folded, not participating in Cael’s gossip.
“Cael. These guys are playing a prank. Your class is not B, it’s E. But don’t go to class, leave early. There’s nothing good waiting for you there.”
Then, the people next to us spoke as if they were wooden.
“Hey, why are you doing this? Don’t do anything weird just because sparks flew our way.”
Despite the objections from those around, the guy looked at me, waiting for my response.
“I don’t understand why you’re so worried.”
“In Class E, there are guys who have been tormenting you. And the last time you came to the academy, you were severely beaten by them. That’s probably why you lost your memory. So don’t go. It’s not good for you.”
“Thanks, tough guy.”
“…?”
I deliberately spoke rudely to the guy. It was because I couldn’t grasp his intentions. Was he trying to kindly tell me to drop out, or was he just worried that I was being tormented and saying this out of concern? It was difficult to distinguish.
The thing I could understand the best was the other person’s reaction. If he was genuinely concerned about me, he wouldn’t get angry at these words, and if he just wanted to make me drop out, he would be greatly angered.
“Tough guy… I have seborrheic dermatitis, so I have no choice but to keep my hair short.”
The guy responded with an appropriate reaction, even to my somewhat rude words.
I smiled at the guy. I thought he was going to start an argument, but it seemed like he was worried about me. No, more specifically, he was worried about Kael.
I don’t know why he hangs out with those nervous kids, but the guy’s advice was quite impressive. I looked at him and asked,
“What’s your name?”
“Jeren.”
“I’ll remember that.”
I was about to leave when Jeren spoke to me again.
“Why are you leaving even though I was honest? I’ll say it again, I didn’t lie.”
“There’s no need to avoid it.”
Jeren paused for a moment, thinking about the meaning of my words, then murmured,
“…I guess you’re prepared. Sorry for unnecessary meddling.”
With that, Jeren stepped back and crossed his arms. He emphasized once again, facing me.
“Just in case there’s any misunderstanding, I shaved my head because I have scalp dermatitis and couldn’t help it.”
I smiled and left. For some reason, I felt like I wanted to get closer to that guy.
— — —
“Is this the right place?”
After hearing about the E-class from Kael, he diligently searched inside the academy, but it was so big that it was hard to find. It wasn’t like all the A, B, C, D, E classes were grouped together, so it was even more strange to try to find it all at once on his first try.
In the end, I decided to go into each class and take a look. As I wandered around a few classes, I realized that Kael wasn’t really well-regarded. Maybe it’s because he’s the only inspector at the academy, but they didn’t seem to welcome his presence.
After wandering around the classes like that, I finally found the E-class.
I could feel the gazes of some of the guys in the class, but I ignored them. And I tried to find my seat. However, there were many empty seats, so I just grabbed any girl next to me and asked,
“Where’s my seat?”
“Huh…?”
“That’s my seat.”
“I can just sit over there.”
“Thanks.”
With those words, I silently took my seat. The girl stared at me blankly, but I ignored her. After all, we weren’t close or anything.
But soon, I couldn’t ignore the sound that reached my ears.
“Huh? Leviah. Isn’t that Kyle? Did he bother you again? I told you to ignore him completely. It’s not because you keep helping him.”
“How can I ignore… We’re classmates and friends… You shouldn’t talk like that either… It’s true that it’s awkward… But if possible, I want us all to get along.”
“Sigh… You’re so naive. Kyle doesn’t even know what he’s doing and likes you.”
I looked at the girls who were having a conversation.
“So it was her.”
It was the girl I just asked for the seat, the girl Trine Man had a crush on, and at the same time, the girl Leviah, who used the nickname Su Yang Budul in the community. I confirmed her face.
As I observed Leviah intently, she turned her head and our eyes met. She quickly averted her gaze. Judging by her stiff expression, it seemed that Trine Man’s confession was not well-received.
“She looks uncomfortable.”
I understand. When someone you don’t like keeps confessing, it feels like an attack. That’s why I thought I shouldn’t get involved with that girl and started rummaging through the drawer. I was curious if Kyle had left anything behind.
Then, a sticky, unpleasant liquid got on my hand.
“Hey, damn it! Didn’t I say it would work? I told you Kyle would start rummaging through the drawer when he comes in.”
A guy yelled loudly and cheered. I looked at the sticky liquid on my hand.
Spoiled milk covered in mold.
I quietly spoke to the guy who was jumping around excitedly.
“Is this something you did?”
The guy who had been swaggering on either side suddenly questioned me with a bewildered tone.
“Are you talking to me right now?”
“If it’s not you, then who else?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Listen to the way this asshole talks. What’s with the attitude? What kind of concept is this, you moron?”
“You’re the one who started the argument, so why are you mad at me?”
“Argument? No, why the f*ck are you so angry? We were just joking around as friends, right? Huh? Isn’t that right?”
“It’s disgusting to call that a joke.”
As I was about to respond, he puffed up his chest with a fearless look. He wanted to appear intimidating, but he was just ordinary. As I came out, he watched me in silence, and then he started hitting me on the head.
“Are you out of your mind? You beat the sh*t out of me that day, and now you’re really hurt somewhere? f*ck, didn’t we joke around as friends? Huh? Can’t friends play jokes? Answer me. Why did you suddenly become mute?”
He quickly approached me and pushed his head forward to provoke me.
“No, why don’t you have an answer now? Are you scared now that I’m right in front of you? Want me to make you curse your dead parents while crying again? Huh? Speak, you f*cking bastard. We were supposed to laugh and joke around, so why are you so serious?”
I have to endure. It’s not a good idea to come in and cause a scene when my reputation is already bad. I am an intellectual. Wasn’t I a commander who acted rationally even on the battlefield not long ago?
But unfortunately, because the guy kept provoking me, I couldn’t help but lose my temper.
With a squelching sound, my finger, which was covered in spoiled milk, was deeply stuck in the guy’s mouth. I immediately pulled my hand back and wiped it off.
Then the guy started coughing and spitting, tears streaming down his face. He probably added something strange to the milk to make it smell bad.
“f*ck… Today, I’m going to kill you and just get expelled.”
Looking at the defiant guy, I replied briefly.
“It’s strange. Why are you so angry? We were just joking around as friends.”