Chapter 7: Huh? Are Classes finally starting? And a Rival appears?
“I am Charlotte Halstrom. This is the Special Class with 10 students. I will be your homeroom teacher for the next two years, so please take good care of me.”
“”” We are looking forward to working with you.”””
Everyone replies to Charlotte’s greeting. The special class includes one purple student and two blue students. There are six red students and Ryoji, who got black. Ryoji, who had heard that blue was the highest order at the entrance ceremony except for his own black, confirmed it.
“Sensei! I heard that no one received the purple medal at the entrance ceremony. Besides, there are only nine of us, right?”
“That is correct. However, due to special circumstances, she was not able to make it to the entrance ceremony, so she will not be able to meet you all until tomorrow. I hope you will all be good friends with her.”
The class begins to murmur at Charlotta’s line.
“She’s coming in late?”
“I heard she had been recuperating until now?”
“The daughter of Coltezis?”
Realizing that he was the only one who was unaware of the situation, he checked with Lucia, who was sitting next to him. Lucia, who had been asked the question, looked at Ryoji’s face closely as she began to explain.
“Don’t you know? It’s about Elizabeth Coltezis! She is the third daughter of the Coltezis family and specializes in the lightning attribute, which is why she is called the Thunder-Wielding Lady!”
“Thunder Wielding Lady? That’s a perfect name! Is she really that great?”
“You’ve met her father! She’s Harrold-sama’s third daughter! Elizabeth-san!”
“I didn’t remember the name of the Duke’s family. And she’s Harrold-sama’s daughter? Let’s get along well with each other. But why is she coming late? Someone mentioned that she’s recuperating, was it that?”
“I don’t know about the illness, but I heard that she is recuperating at the Duchess’s parents’ house.”
Satisfied with Lucia’s explanation, Ryoji continued to listen to Charlotte’s explanation of the academy.
“This is the training hall. It would be easier for everyone to call it the entrance examination hall.”
Charlotte led us to the training hall where Ryoji and the others had taken their examinations. The students were practicing various magic arts, and small flames and puddles of water were being produced.
“Can we practice magic here?”
“Of course, you can. For instance ……. See how he is trying to shoot a Fire Arrow? It has almost no power, right? In this training area, the power is only about 10% of the normal.”
“I see! That means I can shoot with all my might!”
“””””You can’t do that! Ryoji-kun!”””””
“Eeh!! Why are all of you tsukkoming?”
“Carena-san told me [If Ryoji-sama asks “Can I give it my all?’ Please, stop him at all costs. I’m asking you to do it for the sake of the academy,] and Marco-san also asked ‘Please, watch that Ryoji doesn’t do anything reckless!]”
“When did that happen!”
Ryoji exclaimed involuntarily, and Lucia answered on his behalf.
“Carena-san asked me directly at the party last week. She looked somewhat distant and said earnestly, did you do anything before?”
“I broke the magic meter when I was registering with the guild!”
“That’s the cause, isn’t it? I wish you would have told me before you made the magic meter disappear during the entrance exam.”
“This is the professor’s building. Students with outstanding grades will receive a call from their professors. Good luck.”
“Huh? Umnm. It’s Ryoji-kun, huh.”
“Ah! Chief Professor Reynold! Apologies for interrupting your research. We will leave shortly.”
“No problem. Are they from the special class?”
As Charlotta was explaining about the professors’ building, Reynold’s voive came from behind. She paused her guide work to students and turned to Reynold.
“Yes! I was just explaining the inside of the institute since classes are starting today! Is Chief Professor Reynold acquainted with Ryoji-kun?”
“Yeah. He saved my life in the Cave of Trials. He was powerful. His name as a hero of Drugul was not just for decoration. I hope that not only Ryoji-kun but also all of you will bring me research that will make me roar. I look forward to it.”
After answering Charlotte’s question and looking at the students, including Ryoji, Reynold left for his own laboratory.
The students were in a state of excitement when Reynold approached them. And the orientation ended with the students overjoyed at the unexpected surprise.
Since the first day consisted of only the morning, Ryoji, along with Lucia, Mateo, Mishika, Rosa, and Orlando, went out to the food stall area.
They all went into a coffee shop for a break and ordered coffee and tea. As Ryoji sipped his coffee, he thought about Elizabeth.
“Ryoji-kun. What are your thoughts? There were two restaurants in the food street that looked good.”
“Is that so? I’ll stop by on my way home, then! That’s not it! I was thinking about Elizabeth-san who got the purple medal. Even though she’s the daughter of Duke, how can she enter the school late?”
“I think it’s the duke’s power, as well as her own, isn’t it? I can’t say for sure, but ……”
Rosa added to Mishika’s answer.
“The Dean of the school has very strong intentions. He is considered an aristocrat, but he wants to establish a relationship with the papacy as well.”
“Rosa is acting like an informer!”
Rosa answered Lucia’s exclamation with a wry smile.
“I was famous when I was an adventurer. I got a lot of requests to collect mithril items that the Papist nobles would like. But the fees were so low that no one would take on the requests.”
As Ryoji listened to Rosa’s story, he understood why Elizabeth was able to enter the school even if she was late for the entrance exam. Feeling cleared, Ryoji joined in the conversation between Mishika and Orlando, who were having a review of the tea and sweets they had ordered.
(What the hell is going on here?)
Ryoji turned a puzzled look at Lucia but blatantly removed his gaze. Clinging to the straw, he looked around, but all he could see was everyone looking down.
Realizing that no one was on his side, he sighed and then locked eyes with the woman in front of him. Her blazing eyes caught Ryoji’s, and it looked as if a battle was about to begin.
“You must be Viscount Ryoji Uchino! I have heard you are the Hero of Drugul, and you defeated three bull-men simultaneously without a single wound, and you broke the record of Amadeo Sandström, the founder of the country, by conquering the board forest. I hereby declare myself a worthy opponent of yours! In these two years, I will prove to you that I am worthy of the black medal on your chest!”
“Defeating three bull-men simultaneously?”
“What do you mean, you broke the Founding Fathers’ record?”
“Ryoji-kun, you’re supposed to be here studying at the academy, right? What are you doing?”
Ryoji was puzzled when he heard the voices around him pointing their fingers at him, and frowned.
“Elizabeth-san. You’re talking loudly about things you’re not supposed to talk about. There must be a gag order from King Marcel. Don’t you think he’ll be more than just a little angry with you?”
“I-I was just saying that in the heat of the moment! Everyone here is very tight-lipped! They would never divulge a word! Isn’t that right? Everyone?”
Elizabeth threw a glance at the ten people in the classroom, and they all nodded their heads. However, Ryoji noticed Elizabeth’s face turning red and muttered quietly.
“I heard she’s a recuperating young lady, but she’s totally a template of a rival young lady! Besides, she’s a bit natural!”
“That’s all I have to declare. And Ryoji-san, I have a letter for you from father.”
“A letter from the Duke?”
After receiving the letter from Elizabeth, Ryoji confirmed that it was sealed with wax from the Halstrom family, cut the seal, and confirmed the contents.
“[Yooohoo! It’s a me! Harrold! Sorry, Ryoji!] Sorry, Marco! I’ll send you a normal letter next time.”
He almost collapsed when he read the beginning and started to read the rest of the letter, apologizing as he remembered the usual letter he sends to Marco.
[On to the main topic, I’m sorry about Elizabeth’s admission to the academy. She was originally uninterested in the academy and was doing whatever she wanted at her place of recuperation, but then she heard the rumors about Ryoji from somewhere and said, “I will prove to you that I am better than him!” And left for the royal capital before I had time to stop her. Ryoji. I might sound like a foolish parent, but could you show Elizabeth that there is always someone better than you?]
The letter ended with a note saying that he would do his best to reward him. Ryoji put the letter back in storage and let out a huge sigh.
“Why are you sighing? Tell me what my father’s letter says!”
“There’s nothing important in his letter. It’s an apology and a request for your help in the matter.”
“What is it about? Spill it out!”
Elizabeth had a concerned look on her face at Ryoji’s comment, but she shook her head, puffed out her chest, and pressed him closer. However, when Ryoji answered that it was a secret between nobles, Elizabeth could not refute him and sat down, glaring at him with a straight-lipped expression.
With Elizabeth taking her seat, the tension melted away in the classroom, and Charlotte sighed with relief and began to explain about the upcoming classes.
“Everyone is seated. Now that Elizabeth-san has arrived at the school and everyone is here, I will explain how the classes will be conducted. We will have classroom lessons for four days during the week. The remaining two days will be spent in dungeons or practicing magic, and one day will be a day off. Do you have any questions?”
“Yes! Is it okay if we spend two days in the dungeon?”
“Because of the low magic power of students, we set a limit on the number of days they can stay in the dungeon. It is prohibited to dive continuously and to challenge the dungeon for two days in a row. Those who break the prohibition will be expelled from the school, so please be careful.”
“An additional question! How will we keep track of the time spent in the dungeon?”
“That’s very good of you to ask!”
At Ryoji’s question, Charlotte happily took out a crystal ball from her pocket and put it on the teaching table.
“I will answer your question, Ryoji-kun. This is a time ball, which is a magical tool that shows the elapsed time. When you pour magic power into it, it starts a countdown. When the first six hours have elapsed, it turns white, after two hours it turns blue, after two hours it turns yellow, and for the last two hours, it turns red. If you have not returned after eight hours, a search party is sent out. The search is called off if they are not found after 12 hours. There have been no fatalities in the past 10 years, but please be very careful. Are there any other questions?”
“Is it possible to dive in the dungeon solo?”
“Solo is not allowed. You must be in a group of five people.”
Charlotte answered, Elizabeth nodded vigorously and asked a question.
“Is it okay if we decide on a party as soon as possible?”
“That’s right, it is. So, please form a party with Ryoji-kun with the black medal and Elizabeth-san with the purple medal as the leaders.”
Elizabeth gets up from her chair and starts recruiting for the party in a loud voice to those around her.
“Join me! If you form a party with Elizabeth Coltezis, I promise you the honor of conquering the dungeon. And the Beginner Explorer’s Dungeon is magic-centered. Sure, Ryoji-san is known as the Hero of Drugul, but only by his swordsmanship. I can use the magic of three attributes, and my magical power is said to be the greatest. Let’s team up with me for the shortest possible attack!”
At Elizabeth’s call, two people with Blue medals and two with Red medals announced their participation, and Ryoji was surprised to see that one of them was a friend he knew.
“Eh? Orlando is teaming up with Elizabeth-san?”
“Charlotte-sensei said that the party would be five people, didn’t she? Ryoji, you will have Lucia and Mateo, Mishika, and Rosa. So I will team up with Elizabeth-san.”
“Orlando-san, was it? Be very proud that you have requested to join us. Let’s make a name for ourselves together as the quickest conquerors of the beginner explorer dungeon!”
“I won’t lose! Ryoji-kun!”
Agreeing with Elizabeth’s vigorous shout, Orlando declared war with a smile. Ryoji, who had been watching the scene with a wry smile, called out to the four assembled.
“Well then, I guess we’re the leftover team.”
“Why aren’t you using your usual vigor? Aren’t you going to aim for the fastest capture with vigor?”
“That’s fine too. During Cave of Trials, there were a lot of B-rank adventurers, so I could be reckless, and since I was solo in the forest of the board, I was able to go for it with a lot of enthusiasm and momentum. However this time, all of us except Rosa are beginners, right? I’m not saying that Lucia and the others are low-level adventurers, just that the leader is being cautious because this is the first time.”
“So only if you’re all alone or if someone else is leading, can you give it your all?”
“Don’t be so blunt. It hurts me sober. ……”
When Lucia retorted with a sharp tongue, Ryoji replied with a wry smile, and with Lucia, Mateo, Mishika, and Rosa, the five of them formed a party.
“Now that we’ve got a party, we charge into the dungeon! What do you say?”
“Of course not. Even though it is a dungeon for beginner-level explorers owned by the academy, the monsters are real. You can’t dive into the dungeon without preparation. As part of today’s class, the students are asked to shop at the school’s tool shop. Of course, what you buy is important.”
With a wry smile at Ryoji’s cheerful voice, Charlotte takes the students to the school’s tool shop.
“What is the budget?”
“The entire party is limited to 15 silver coins. And you are not allowed to take anything other than your equipment with you.”
“Not even potions or magical items?”
“Yes. If you have magic tools, you won’t know your true ability, so it is forbidden. As for equipment, we have registered detailed information on inherited weapons and armor before granting permission to use them.”
“But if that’s the case, how would you know if someone secretly used an item in the item box?”
As everyone nodded at Lucia’s question, Charlotte took out a crystal ball from the item box that was different from the one she had just taken out.
“Lucia-san’s question is natural. We’ll check that with the crystal ball over here. Shall we give it a try? Lucia-san, are you a man? Please answer with ‘yes’ or ‘no.'”
“Eh? No?”
When she replied to Charlotta’s question with a puzzled look, the crystal ball in her hand started glowing red.
“See. The crystal ball turned red, didn’t it? This is a crystal ball that glows red when you convey something other than your own thoughts in response to a question. Although you can only ask simple questions, I will use this when you return from the dungeon, so remember that you can’t lie.”
“Now, let’s get to shopping! Well, Ryoji-san!”
“EH? What?”
“We will have a contest! Let’s see which one of us can get the best tools to challenge the dungeon!”
As soon as they reached the tool shop, Elizabeth pointed her finger at Ryoji and challenged him to a game. She interrupted Ryoji, who was about to reply, by pointing her palm at him, and continued in a loud and vigorous voice.
“I understand! I know you want to say that it is inappropriate to compete over the purchase of a tool. But by competing with each other, we can check each other’s skills and learn what we are missing!”
“……. No, no, that’s not what I’m saying. What I’m trying to say is…”
“Or are you afraid to accept the competition? I don’t mind at all. I, Elizabeth Coltezis, would not run and hide if challenged to a match!”
When Ryoji tried to interrupt her midway, she challenged him with a look and a smile that suggested only a coward runs away. Seeing her, Ryoji was about to say something, but shook his head and let out a sigh before responding.
“I don’t know if you’ll regret it.”
“It’s got to be! I won’t lose!”
As Ryoji watched Elizabeth enter the tool shop with Orlando and the others, Mishka spoke to him with an impatient look on her face.
“Hey! Why are you taking your time? Why are Lucia and Rosa so calm? It doesn’t matter how well you do in the class, it’s still a competition! You don’t know what they’ll say if you lose!”
“Well, there’s no need to rush.”
“That’s true.”
“Indeed. I don’t see the need to rush.”
When Mishika was surprised by the three’s response, Ryoji let out a sigh and pointed to a spot.
After paying, Elizabeth noticed that Ryoji and When all the members except Orlando looked surprised, Ryoji called out to them.
“Have you finished your shopping?”
“Of course! For me,……, for us it is no big deal to get everything we need!”
Elizabeth boldly answered Ryoji’s question by pulling out tools one after another from her knapsack and arranging them in a row.
“Just like this.”
“That’s so. How did Orlando and the others buy them?”
“We examined them one by one and bought them with the fifteen silver coins that the teacher had specified. How did you choose, Ryoji-kun?”
When Orlando asked, he pointed to the bags piled up at the entrance of the tool shop. Elizabeth followed the pointed finger to the stack of bags and the words are written on the bottom.
[For two silver coins, you can buy all the tools you need to be an adventurer!]
“Eh? Huh?”
Ryoji was warmly gazing at them like they were such an innocent child and then told the puzzled Elizabeth.
“Adventurers need to pay attention, you know. By the way, are you okay? You look a little pale.”
“Shut up! You are thinking ‘So sad Elizabeth, you are not paying enough attention’ anyway! Please leave me alone!”
“……. Let’s go back to the classroom for now.”
Charlotte called out to everyone as she muttered, looking at Elizabeth who ran away from the tool shop while shouting.
When Ryoji and the others returned to the classroom after shopping, they found Elisabet plopped down on her desk. One of the students called out to her, but she only replied with a sulky voice, and everyone, at a loss, looked at Ryoji.
“Don’t look at me. That’s right! Orlando is one of you now.”
“So you’re dumping that on me, huh?”
Looking at Ryoji’s face, Orlando smiled wryly as he approached Elizabeth and slowly spoke to her.
“Elizabeth-san. Why do you have to be depressed? You have searched for the best one by examining them one by one. Besides, you said, ‘By competing, we can confirm mutually, and if something is missing, we can learn from each other, can’t we?’ Isn’t it a big gain for you to know that you’re not paying enough attention?”
“You say whatever you want. But I understand. I’ve lost!”
Elizabeth, who had been lying prone, looks up with puffed-out cheeks. She glanced at Orlando for a moment, let out a sigh, then looked at Ryoji and bowed her head.
“Even so, Orlando was good. He was able to get Elizabeth to admit defeat.”
After class, Ryoji and the group visited a food stall street. Mishika recalled today’s lesson and was impressed as she tucked into her grilled skewers.
‘”Yeah, indeed. I said, ‘Do something! ‘ but I didn’t think you’d do it.”
Ryoji was also recalling today’s events while sipping on a sponge cake-like pastry and chiming in.
After apologizing to Ryoji, Elizabeth was calmly attending the class, and the lesson on dungeons went off without a hitch.
During the class, it became clear that the tools they had prepared for the dungeon were the bare necessities. Ryoji judged that he would not be able to dive for eight hours, which was just under the time ball limit, muttered quietly,
“It’s going to be a wait-and-see attack for a while, I guess?”
It was unknown how far Lucia, Mateo, Mishika, and Rosa would be able to go, and he wanted to check everyone’s abilities.
“The class tomorrow is about magic, right?”
“To be more specific, it’s about ‘types of attribute magic’. Ryoji-kun can use all attributes, so I think you will be showing us an example, right? But why did you suddenly ask about the class?”
Mishka asked, perhaps wondering why Ryoji had suddenly started talking about classes when they had been having so much fun talking about food in the food stall district earlier.
“It’s about time we dove into the dungeon, right? Even though it is a beginner explorer dungeon, there will be more than one monster. So I think it’s necessary as a leader to know everyone’s movements. I’ll check your abilities tomorrow and have you learn how to work together, but what do you think? Rosa used to be an adventurer, so you know what I mean, right?”
“I do. The guild often heard stories of high-ranking adventurers who were caught off guard by low-ranking monsters and died in battle. However, it’s good to find out what everyone else is capable of, but if you want to practice coordination, we will need a bigger place to do it. Where are we going to do that?”
“I’ve found a great place!”
Hearing from Rosa about a place to practice, Ryoji told her about the place with a happy face.
“This is the ‘right place’? Not the last place!”
Lucia exclaimed and Mateo nodded beside her. They had all come to one of the properties they had seen when purchasing a mansion in the suburbs. Looking pleased with their reactions, Ryoji led them to the garden at the back of the house instead of taking them inside.
“Actually, there are some people I promised to take care of. I bought the house after that. They are going to live in the mansion. It has ten rooms, so it’s perfect for them. They can use it as they like until the renovations start, so it’s a good place to practice, right?”
“But Mateo, Mishika, and I cannot use magic, you know?”
Ryoji confidently beat his chest as Lucia expressed her reluctance to tell him.
“Leave it to me, I’ll take care of it!”
“What are you going to do?”
While looking happy at Mishika’s question he pulled out a mithril staff from the storage and handed it to the four of them. The four looked at the wand and began to tremble. The staff was 30 centimeters long with a glittering magic stone on the end, and at first glance, they could tell that it was a luxury item.”
“Ry-Ryoji-kun. T-This is …….”
“A present for forming a party! You can return it if you prefer the one you usually use.”
Ryoji answered Rosa’s trembling voice with a fresh smile. The four of them looked at the shiny silver staff in their hands. When Ryoji asked them to give it back if they didn’t want it, they hurriedly replied while holding the staff in their hands.
“Of course, I’ll take it! But are you sure you want to give us such a fine wand?”
“I’m flattered, but we can’t give you anything back, you know?”
“I’ll take it! Are you sure you want me to take it? If I showed it to my father, who deals in magical tools, I’m sure he’d be shocked at the amount of money it’s worth.”
“Are you sure about this? It’s a first-class piece of equipment from an adventurer’s point of view. Where did you get four of them?”
When asked how he got them, Ryoji began to explain happily.
“I made them for everyone! The staff part is mithril. The magic stone at the tip is a wyvern magic stone, so it’s very powerful. And I think it’s easy to pass magic through it. As for the design, I made it like a dragon for my own personal interest!”
“Eh? Mithril? Not silver? And a wyvern magic stone? And Ryoji-kun thought of the design? Eh? Ehh! Ryoji-kun made it?”
Lucia approached the confused Mishika who had questions, and put her hand on her shoulder, then shook her head lightly and muttered quietly.
“Don’t think too much about it. Because it’s Ryoji-kun.”
“Oi! Lucia! Don’t say, ‘Because it’s Ryoji-kun’! If you keep talking like that, I’m going to have to take back the mithril wand!”
“No! You already gave it to me! I won’t give it back even if you say ‘give it back’! And ‘it’s Ryoji-kun’ who can make such a thing!”
Sticking out her tongue, she held up the mithril wand happily and spun around to express her joy, while Ryoji watched Lucia and Mishika with a wry smile, then switched gears and pulled out the Cozimo Sword from storage.”
“Now, let’s begin the first ‘I’ll be a wizard’ class. Clap, clap, clap. Yes! Applause, everyone!”
Mishika and surprisingly Rosa got on board with Ryoji’s excitement. Lucia gave a cold look and Mateo clapped his hands in embarrassment, and Ryoji began the class.
“First, I want you to learn how to use your magic before you use the mithril wand. Now then, Rosa-kun!”
“Eh? Rosa-kun? What’s going on all of a sudden?”
“Rosa-kun, what was your occupation when you were an adventurer?”
“Eh? Ignoring my question? Fine. I was a wizard when I was an adventurer. That’s why I was able to enter the academy.”
“Then, you can use magic, right?”
“Of course, I can use magic. I can use fire and water magic. What about it?”
“Can you show me your water magic?”
As Ryoji instructed her to use magic, Rosa held up her mithril wand and began chanting.
[I, hereby, summon a clear stream to strike the enemy! Water Arrow-]
With a piercing sound, the Water Arrow appeared in front of Rosa and lunged toward the target five meters away. The moment it hit the target, it shattered.
“Eh? It is more powerful than usual. …… It’s thanks to the performance of the mithril wand, isn’t it?”
“Thanks for the expected response. Now let’s start the rest of the lesson. First, ……. Ah! That’s too much trouble! Back to the original tone!”
“No, nobody asked you, remember?”
Ryoji, who had brilliantly brushed off Mateo’s tsukkomi, began to explain the magic.
“The magic power that Rosa felt was thanks to the wyvern’s magic stone attached to the mithril wand. Putting that aside, Rosa fired the Water Arrow just now, can you tell me the procedure?”
“Eh? Just ‘shoot the water arrow’?”
“No. Among Rosa’s actions, there are the processes of “putting magic power into the wand,” “converting magic power into water attribute,” “recognizing the enemy,” and “releasing magic toward the enemy,” right? There should also be a shortcut to using magic by breaking down the movements in this way. Therefore, the most important thing is the image, so let’s start with the image of pouring magic power into the mithril wand.”
After understanding Ryoji’s explanation, everyone began practicing pouring magic into the mithril wand. After about two hours, those who had struggled at first were able to smoothly pour magic into the mithril wand. After confirming this, he began explaining the assignment to everyone.
“Today’s lesson is over. The homework for today is to ‘solidify the image of the fire attribute’. I’m going to give everyone a magic stone, so try to pour the image of fire into the magic stone. If you can’t do it, that’s okay.”
Ryoji handed out 30 magic stones and told the students to do their best.
It was the third day of classes at the academy. Charlotte’s face was tense and she was visibly nervous as she prepared to start the class.
“Today, we are going to teach a class on attribute assignment. The attributes are fire, water, wind, ice, earth, and lightning, as well as light, darkness, and space-time, which are no longer used. These light, darkness, and time-space were referred to as lost attributes until recently. …… That’s all for the oral lesson.”
Today’s class was on attributes, and the instructors, including Reynold, who had heard that Ryoji was going to give an example, had gathered in a crowd. Charlotte’s tension was at max at the sudden call, and the students turned sympathetic glances to their homeroom teacher.
“Then I’ll have you all take a look at the types of attributes. Ryoji-kun, please.”
Ryoji, who had been nominated, picked up the crystal ball on the teaching table. He slowly poured magic power into it and turned it red.
“First of all, it is red for the basic attribute of fire. Then the water attribute is blue. The wind attribute is silver, and the ice attribute is white.”
As Ryoji poured magic power into the crystal ball one after another, the pink color of the recovery attribute and the gold color of the lightning attribute was also projected onto the crystal ball. The students, as well as Charlotte, Reynold, and the other instructors, held their breath as they were mesmerized by the changes in the crystal ball.
When Ryoji stopped pouring magic power into the crystal ball, it faded away and returned to its original state. All of them blinked as if they were awake, and when their consciousness became clear, they began to ask questions. Ryoji sincerely answered questions not only from the students but also from the instructor.
“Are there any other questions?”
At Ryoji’s question, Reynold with a restless expression asked him impatiently.
“Ryoji-kun. The transition of attributes you just described was really wonderful. But we have yet to see the attributes of light, darkness, and space-time! What I’m researching requires space-time attributes. If you could, could you show me those?”
“Okay, I’ll show you the space-time attribute. A friend of mine told me that the space-time attribute projects everything but the recovery attribute at the same time. It looks like this.”
“Ohh! This is the space-time attribute ……. Wonderful! And beautiful! Gun…… Ryoji, your space-time attribute is the reason why I’m now doing my research. Come to my lab this weekend. I have a favor to ask of you.”
“If I can be of any help to the chief professor, I would be delighted.”
A loud groan was heard from the lecturers when Reynold invited Ryoji to join him. The reason was that Reynold usually worked alone and completed his research without the help of anyone else.
Unaware of this, Ryoji smiled at Reinardt and replied.
“That’s great! Ryoji-kun! I can’t believe that Professor Reynold invited you. As I expected of someone with Black Medal!”
The class ended without incident, and the students gathered under Ryoji in anticipation. As he was responding to the praise from Orlando and the other students, he felt a strong gaze from behind him. Ryoji turned his head and saw Elizabeth, biting on a handkerchief, glaring at him.
“Eh? Was it really that frustrating?”
“Hey! Orlando! Choose your words properly!”
Lucia rushes to stop Orlando’s straightforward response. However, Elizabeth apparently heard it, and after glaring at Orlando with a bright red face, she turned to Ryoji and,
“Kiii! I’m not frustrated! Watch me! I won’t lose to you this time, Ryoji-san!”
“Hey, ……!”
“No need to say anything! I don’t want your sympathy!”
Ryoji was about to say something to Elizabeth, but she interrupted him and ran away.
“You were going to say something, weren’t you? Ryoji-kun?”
“Nothing important. I was going to say, ‘Elizabeth-san, you are very kind to Orlando’.”
“Don’t ever say that to Elizabeth-san.”
“Really?”
“Well then, let’s begin our second magic class! Applause!”
“So eagerly awaited!”
“Ohh. Even more energetic than last time?”
After the class, everyone gathered at the mansion to be renovated on the outskirts of the Royal Capital, where they sat in chairs prepared by Ryoji and waited for the class to begin. When Ryoji, who received thunderous applause as soon as he was greeted, tilted his head curiously, Lucia explained to him with a wry smile.
“During today’s class, Professor Reynold approached you directly. I know you two are good friends personally, but when I saw that he approached you as a professor, it made me want to follow you!”
Ryoji understood the reason behind the excitement and was about to start the class, but Mishika interrupted him.
“Sensei! A word before class! When I showed my father the mithril wand I received, he said, ‘Please tell Ryoji-kun. You’re too conspicuous as it is. If you keep it like that, you’ll stand out too much, and you might get attacked’.”
“Oh! Mine said that to me, too!”
“My parents almost took it away from me.”
“I’m fine.”
While frowning at the voices raised by the others, he was curious about Mateo’s line and asked him.
“Did the one Mateo had got taken away by his parents?”
“Yes, they did. The moment they saw the cane, they said, ‘Such a luxury item is useless to you! Give it to your brother, the next head of the family!’ .”
Mateo replied with a look of dismay on his face. Ryoji apologized for the bad relationship he had caused with his parents but was met with a resigned smile.
“I’m used to dealing with them by now, so I don’t mind. Also when I said, ‘The mithril staff is only entrusted to me by Viscount Uchino, the hero of the Drugul,’ they simply backed down. It is well known that you are King Marcel’s favorite. In fact, my brother was very insistent that he introduce me to him.”
“Should I meet him?”
Ryoji’s words were very considerate, to which Mateo replied with a shake of his head,
“I’d rather you don’t meet him. He’s the one who says, ‘When I become the next head of the family, you’ll be my servant’. I’m leaving home as soon as I graduate. So I’m telling my brothers how close I am to you, Ryoji-kun, and I’m going to make them regret it.”
Ryoji thought about Mateo, who spoke with a refreshed expression and smiled.
“You don’t get along with your parents and siblings, right? Are you willing to make things better?”
“If anyone wants to make things better, it’s the other side. I have no intention of making things better.”
“Okay! Then, when you graduate, work for me! Let’s make them regret it as much as you want!”
Hearing Ryoji’s offer to hire him, he looked delighted instantly, but then immediately shook his head with a self-deprecating smile.
“I’m the third son of an aristocrat, so I don’t see the point in hiring you, Ryoji, you know?”
“The point is me hiring you! Mateo, you don’t want me to hire you?”
When asked to make a decision, Mateo blinked his eyes and kneeled before Ryoji, offering his mithril staff instead of his sword.
“I pledge my allegiance to my Lord for the rest of my life.”
“Alright! Template collection OK!”
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
While looking at the happy Mateo and his congratulating friends, Ryoji began to think about the mithril staff. He had not expected that what he had given him to increase his strength would become the source of so much commotion.
“Well Mateo’s problem is going to be solved now, but the mithril wand is a problem. Should I falsify its appearance? There are all kinds of materials I have, for example, ……, so let’s do ……, like this, right? And then do it like this ……. Voila!”
Ryoji took a chunk of something out of storage, processed it, and stored the mithril wand inside. The newly created staff had a rugged look and was suitable for a novice adventurer.
“Amazing. You made a new cane in an instant. Is the performance good?”
“I think so. Sixteen Lightning Needles! Hmm? It feels like it’s stuck. I’m going to try shooting it a little bit, can you move away for a bit?”
Ryoji activated the sixteen Lightning Needles and fired them all at once at the target in the back. The whole group looked on in amazement, but Ryoji looked disappointed that it was not as powerful as he thought it would be, and Rosa was the first one to recover and speak to him.
“Just now that was magic, wasn’t it?”
“Eh? Yeah?”
“It’s magic I’ve never heard of, and you didn’t even chant it, did you?”
“Yeah. It’s lightning attribute magic that I made. It’s pretty easy to use. I don’t need to chant. And I can shoot magic without chanting. Eventually, I’ll get everyone to learn it.”
“”””EH! “”””
Ryoji’s simple words drew a cry of astonishment from everyone.
“Eh, removing the chant? How? No! Can we do without chanting in the first place? Can we do it? Eh? Can we?”
Rosa was panicking, and Mateo and Mishika were frozen in stunned silence. Lucia, who has managed to get back on her feet, approached Ryoji as the representative of the group and asked him while keeping her face close to his.”
“Hey! Ryoji-kun! You said I could do that, right?”
“Hey! Close! Close! Your face is close!”
Holding Lucia’s face with both hands, Ryoji began to explain.
“In the first lesson, we talked about the process of converting magic power into attributes and releasing magic to the enemy, right? A wizard unconsciously goes through this process while chanting. So if you are conscious of it, you don’t need to chant, and if it’s up to me… Look. I can do this.”
“””” EHH! “”””
Ryoji held the water ball in its water ball state. When everyone saw this, they were again filled with astonishment. Ryoji looked pleased with the reaction and began to talk.
“This also comes down to image. Do you understand? I’ve kept the power to a minimum, so you can touch it.”
After hearing Ryoji’s words, they fearfully touched the water ball. Everyone was surprised to see a ball of water that looked nothing out of the ordinary, but then Mishika’s face lit up and she plunged her face into the water ball.
“EHh! Mishika? What are you doing!”
Lucia hurriedly pulled Mishika out of the water ball. But Mishka, not caring that her upper body was soaking wet, plunged her face into the bowl again and again, laughing hysterically. Ryoji, who had made the water ball disappear with a wry smile, used a combination of fire and wind magic toward Mishika.
“Whoa! The warm air is rushing in with power!”
“Right? It’s my combined magic Dryer! It doesn’t matter if it rains on laundry day!”
“Nope. If it rains, we dry it inside the house. Normal people don’t use magic for that kind of thing. And can we continue with the lesson? You’re getting too sidetracked.”
Lucia replied to Ryoji with tsukkomi while looking at Mishka, who was receiving the hair dryer with a pleasant feeling.
“Then let’s continue with the class. Have you tried pouring fire magic into the magic stone I gave you?”
“I tried, but it was surprisingly difficult. I couldn’t pour magic power into the magic stone.”
Lucia answered on behalf of the others, and Mateo and Mishika also raised their hands to say the same thing. Rosa answered that there was no problem. Ryoji nodded broadly at each of the three’s answers and explained.
“Just now, Rosa said ‘no particular problem’. It’s because she can use that magic. But everyone else also did it once. Try to remember.”
“Eh? Did it once. ……. Ah! During the attribute test!”
“That’s right. At that time, you found out that there are fire and water attributes, right? Like that time, try to pour the magic power into the magic stone while focusing more on the fire attribute.”
After receiving advice from Ryoji, the three of them, except Rosa, began to pour magic power into the magic stone. They were surprised to see that it was much easier than they thought to create a magic stone with fire attribute magic, and Ryoji nodded his head in satisfaction as he continued with the lesson.
“Then, now let’s put magic power into the wand and change it to the fire attribute. Imagine the fire attribute by pouring magic power into it. ……”
“Ryoji-kun? The magic power doesn’t pass through the wand though?”
“Huh? Give it to me. It’s feeling a little stuck, but it’s okay.”
Upon Rosa’s words, Ryoji borrowed a processed mithril wand and let the magic power pass through it. He felt a slight tugging, but he was able to pass the magic through, and when he tilted his head, Mishika began to speak discreetly.
“You probably know this, but the iron used by Ryoji is incompatible with magic. Adding an attribute to a sword has little effect, but when it comes to passing magic power through it, like a staff, it’s a no-go.”
“Eh? I can do it though? …… it’s fine! I’m just awesome!”
Ryoji made an unsatisfied face at Mishka’s explanation, but seeing the warm expressions around him, he said preemptively to control the situation. It turned out that the mithril staff surrounded by iron could not be poured with magic power except for Ryoji, so another material had to be used.
“But what if it’s not iron? Wood? Silver? Gold?”
“Even silver is expensive. I don’t like gold because it’s tasteless than expensive. Maybe wood?”
“Wood, like this one?”
Mishika replies with the suggestion of materials. Ryoji first took out the staff that Iorus gifted him and showed it to Mishka. But the staff, a gift from the Goddess, seemed to be a precious material, so Mishika looked at him angrily.
“Hey! Why can I feel the sacred power from this wood? Ordinary material! Give me some ordinary material!”
“Well then, shall we go to Mishika’s store to buy some? It’ll contribute to the sales. I’ll only buy materials for wands, though.”
“No problem. Ryoji-kun will be buying from us and it will be a good advertisement for us. I’ll put a sign on the front door saying, ‘The hero of Drugul is a customer of ours!’ .”
Ryoji laughed at Mishika’s business-minded words and resumed the class.
“Everyone ready your mithril wands! Let the magic flow through you! Hold it like that!”
“It’s surprisingly hard! My magic power is decreasing at a tremendous rate!”
Under the command, screams could be heard from everyone who had been keeping the mithril wand flowing with magic power. Ryoji, who could see that their magic power was depleting, took out a mana potion that he made himself from the storage and explained as he laid it out on the table.
“This is a mana potion I made. It is five times more effective than the ones sold in stores. Drink this and hang on until the last minute! Picture it as if it were connected to the fire attribute! Have a burning heart! Then a single arrow, clad in flames, will appear before your eyes!”
“Done!”
“Whoa! It’s out! Look! I did it!”
“I did it too! Amazing!”
“Why are you suddenly talking like an old man, Ryoji-kun? By the way, I’m witnessing a revolutionary moment in the history of magic, aren’t I? I’m manifesting a stationary Fire Arrow without chanting.”
Rosa muttered in dismay as she looked at the three of them who were excitedly shouting.
“We haven’t even learned how to use magic yet, and yet we can do this! I knew Ryoji-kun was amazing!”
Ryoji responded with a big smile as he raised both hands in praise from everyone, and ordered them to repeat the repetitive practice of pouring magic power into the mithril wand again.
“Ryoji-sensei. My stomach is already full. Let’s call it a day, shall we?”
“Did you drink too much and get a bloated stomach? Why are potions drinks in the first place?”
Hearing Mateo’s declaration of his limit for an unexpected reason, he tilted his head at the fact that potions are drinks, and a stunned voice came back to him from Rosa.
“It’s not surprising. A lot of times when I drink potions, I’m in the middle of a battle. If it wasn’t a drink, it would be impossible to recover while fighting.”
“I see. You have to be able to drink it right away, right? But when you are not in battle, you can eat when you are recovering.”
Hearing what Ryoji casually muttered, Lucia vigorously came up to him.
“Ryoji-kun! Can you make those eatable potions right away? Do you have the ingredients? Is there anything I can help you with? Hey! Let me take a bite! Ryoji-kun!”
“Hey! Close! Close! Lucia’s face gets closer when tension rises!”
Ryoji explains as he once again holds Lucia’s face with both hands as she approaches him with the same vigor as when she saw the chant revoke.
“I just came up with the idea just now! We’ll work out the details from now on, but the problem is that the only merchant association I know is in Drugul.”
“If that’s the case, I’ll introduce you to my father! He’s a pretty big toolmaker! Considering the cost of materials, the selling price is…”
Lucia began to calculate the production costs and selling prices, and Mateo and Rosa looked dumbfounded, while Mishika nodded in a merchant’s face as if it was only natural. Ryoji decides to end the class as it begins to deviate completely from the content of the lesson.
“I think that’s it for today’s class. Today’s homework is to imagine fire magic with the mithril wand lightly infused with magic power. Something like this?”
Ryoji took out his own mithril wand, and with a smile, he told the students to do their best by invoking fire magic with a wand the size of a match.
“Is this Lucia’s tool shop?”
“Not mine, my father’s tool shop.”
Ryoji asked looking up at the store, and Lucia corrected him with a wry smile. Everyone who had followed along with her was also in awe.
“Amazing! My father praised the store’s selection of goods and services.”
“I was also taken care of when I was an adventurer, but I had no idea it was Lucia’s parents’ house.”
“You’re a young lady hu! Now I know why she bought so much when she took me shopping!”
“Stop it! I am not that impressive.”
Lucia enters the tool shop as the three of them respond to her impressions.
“Welcome! Ah. It’s young miss-“
“I’m home. Where is my father?
The clerk inside noticed Lucia and tried to call out to her, but she interrupted him and asked where her father was. She thanked him briefly and went to the second floor where his study was located.
“Looks like he’s in his study, so come on up.”
“Hey? Didn’t he just call you ‘Young Miss’?”
“I think you heard wrong. Come this way.”
She opened the door to the study, brushing aside Mishika’s question.
“I have something to discuss with my father, but it’s time…”
“Welcome home! I always tell you! I tell you all the time it’s not ‘father,’ it’s ‘papa!’! Isn’t itttttttttt!”
Seeing Lucia enter the study, the man sitting in the back of the study stands up vigorously and instantly approaches her, hugging her and starting to kiss her on the cheek. At his mercy, she let out a sigh and spoke to her father, Javier.
“Annoying as always. Don’t be so overprotective. I’ve got a job for you.”
“Hmm? Are you talking about work? What’s going on all of a sudden?”
After putting Lucia down, Javier put on a serious expression as he noticed Ryoji and the others and threw a sharp look at them.
“Didn’t you come here to show your beloved Papa your friends? Hm! There are two men here! D-D-D-Don’t tell me! You have your papa! You used to say ‘When I grow up, I’m going to marry papa’! That’s all you ever said when you were a kid!”
“No. I never said that. And father is just father, right? Also, I’ll let him tell you about the work. This is my classmate, Ryoji, the hero of Drugul.”
“J-Just father. …… Hm? Hero of Drugul? That Ryoji-kun?”
Javier looked hurt by Lucia’s words, but when he heard Ryoji’s name, he looked at him to value him. When Ryoji responded with a smile, Javier confirmed it to Lucia with a stern look on his face.
“He’s the hero of Drügl? Rumor has it that he is of gigantic stature, and the weapon he uses is a sword so large that it can cut through a wyvern. I’ve heard that he slays every monster he encounters and goes berserk when he sees his foes, isn’t that so? Anyone he doesn’t like will vanish the moment he passes them, you know?”
“Who is that? I can’t even picture what that person would look like! Who made such rumors about me!?”
As Ryoji was pondering the severity of the rumors Javier was passing on to him, Javier spoke to him with a laugh.
“Nice to meet you. Ryoji-sama. I am Javier, Lucia’s father. Thank you for the wonderful mithril wand you gave my daughter the other day. However, acknowledging your relationship with Lucia is a different story. ……”
“Father! Business!”
Lucia tsukkomi at Javier, who conveyed it with a different expression on his face.
“Oops. That’s right. Did you come today to talk about making a profit?”
“I’m here to make and sell eatable potions for people.”
“Eatable potions? Even though it is a drink, you eat it? Could you please explain it a little more clearly?”
Javier tilted his head and asked for an explanation. Ryoji began to talk about the eatable potion that had come up in the after-school class. After hearing the end of the story, Javier quietly closed his eyes and began to think deeply. After three minutes of contemplation, Lucia made a concerned little remark to her father, who quietly opened his eyes and began to talk to Ryoji.
“Who have you told this story to?”
“Hm? Only my friends here.”
“Do you know any other merchants besides me?”
“I know Aurelio in Drugul City. We are close enough to do business together and manage the territory. He is now the deputy of the garrison.”
“Hou. The prodigy child of the Carcano Chamber of Commerce, huh.”
“What about in the end? Father? Do you think the eatable potion that Ryoji-kun came up with is going to be good for business?”
“Of course! Not just a seed of business, but a big tree of profit all of a sudden. That’s my darling! My dear Lucia! How nice of you to make friends with Ryoji-sama!”
“Of course! Because I was the one who spotted him during the entrance exam! I felt that I was destined for Ryoji-kun!”
“What! Destiny, you say! No! No! No! No! Lucia is going to marry Papa! I’ll never let this bastard Ryoji have her!”
“Nope. I don’t want you to give her to me. I already have two fiancées.”
“Whattt! Are you saying that my Lucia is not pretty!?”
“Which one is it! You’re a troublesome old man!”
“Who’s an old man! I’m Javier! Super Cute! I’m the daddy of my adorable little Lucia!”
“No, you’re a real bother, you know that? Now get on with the business.”
Lucia had to end the conversation tediously because of Javier’s fragile nature.
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Happy New Year!
Error?
It’s an apology and a request for your help in the matter. -> It’s an apology and a request for my help in the matter.
Ryoji smiled at Reinardt and replied -> Ryoji smiled at Reynold and replied
my brother was very insistent that he introduce me to him. -> my brother was very insistent that I introduce you to him.
so I don’t see the point in hiring you -> so I don’t see the point in hiring me
Thanks for the treat.