Chapter 1: A Gift from the Cardinal

“Phew... So you wanted to bring me here, huh?”

Alicia panted between her words. “I didn’t bring you here because I wanted to... Ugh, let me catch my breath... Phew... Finally, I’m okay now... Why on earth did you start running up the stairs all of a sudden?! You really surprised me!”

“For me, flights of stairs are opportunities for weight loss,” I explained. “That being said, you’re really out of shape.”

“Unlike you, I’m not exercising to lose weight! Besides, mages don’t need to be fit to cast magic!” Alicia huffed indignantly, then sighed. “Whatever. If I keep talking to you, I’ll be infected with the ‘idiot’ disease too...”

I’d had a feeling when I’d followed Alicia into the staff building that we’d end up at the headmaster’s office, and sure enough, here we were. It seemed that my intuition was on point.

Rays of morning light filtered into the room not unlike a botanical garden. The headmaster sat at his desk scrutinizing a piece of paper, holding it up to the light to get a clearer look.

“I didn’t think I’d come to this room a second time. If the other students heard about this, they’d be pretty jealous,” I muttered.

“A second time? What do you mean?” Alicia said at length, a slight hint of suspicion in her tone.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I was just talking to myself.”

Why did the headmaster have Alicia bring me here, though? Did something happen to the mercenary I caught the other day?

Alicia didn’t seem fazed at all. She showed her unreserved displeasure, probably thinking something along the lines of, “Why did I have to bring him here?”

Hey, why is she standing so far away from me? Is she that averse to being near me?

“Slowe, are visits to my office that unusual?” the headmaster asked.

Oops. I hadn’t meant for him to hear me. Nothing for it but to be honest, then.

“Yes, sir. Among the students, it is rumored that you only summon students to this office to give them recommendations to become Royal Knights or job offers in the palace after graduation. Well, I mean, I only heard of this recently, so I don’t know the details.”

“Wait, really?” Alicia was surprised.

“You’re an international student, so it doesn’t apply to you,” I muttered.

“Well now, that is quite the rumor. Who started it, I wonder?” The headmaster stroked his white beard. “It is not far from the truth. There have been such cases in the past. I have only recommended one such student to the Order, though... They were a very remarkable student, indeed.” The headmaster paused. “To this day, I still question whether I made the right choice back then. The question remains on my mind each and every day,” the headmaster said, reminiscing. The corners of his eyes softened, melancholy clear in his tone.

The headmaster changed the topic with a shake of his head. “Thank you for bringing him here, Alicia. Now, you two were both involved in the incident, so I wished to inform you that the mercenary was escorted to Daryth City without any issues. These events stressed you greatly, Alicia, and I would like to apologize to you as the headmaster for failing to protect you. I am truly sorry.”

Alicia breathed out a relieved sigh. “Please do not worry about it. It is in the past.”

Alicia’s pretty unlucky, witnessing the mercenary just as she was fiddling with her magic circle. She must’ve had her heart in her throat the whole time while the mercenary held her at wandpoint...

“Slowe, people have likely changed how they treat you after you caught the mercenary. Is this the case?”

I hesitated. “I also thought people would change, but I guess I’m still difficult to approach.”

In the end, nobody tried to talk to me directly after the incident with the mercenary. Most of the students kept their distance, observing my every action from afar like they did this morning in the dining hall.

“But, well... People started paying attention to me in the sense that even the rotten apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. In my case, that tree being House Denning. I’ve crossed too many lines up to this point, so honestly, this is enough for me. I plan on continuing to slowly return to my true self from now on.”

“Nothing can change the fact that you are a Denning, I see... That is what they think of you. However, even the majority of the most powerful members of House Denning would have struggled to defeat that mercenary single-handedly. Even the boy I recommended for the Order wouldn’t have been able to do so alone. Alicia, you would know that since you faced No Face personally. You saw firsthand how powerful of a mage and how formidable an opponent she was. I can count on one hand the number of mages in the world who can cast the darkness spell for disguises with such ease as she did.”

“Well... Yes, all of that is true, but this guy was the absolute worst before this happened.” She made a gesture towards me with a jerk of her hand. “So it’s hard... I can’t change the way I feel about him overnight, just because of this one incident. If I had to guess, I’d say that’s why people aren’t talking to him directly. They probably feel the same way as I do,” Alicia said.

“I see. Slowe, it seems that your accomplishment was so out of the ordinary that people still have not quite come to terms with it. However, have you heard? There is speculation in the palace that the Prodigy of Wind has returned, although admittedly such speculation is met with some small degree of skepticism.”

The Prodigy of Wind. That was the title bestowed upon me before I turned into the self-indulgent, blackhearted Piggy Duke. It was a relic of my childhood, back from the days before I threw everything away. Ugh, just the sound of it makes me cringe. Goosebumps spread down my arms and neck at the mere thought.

“Headmaster,” I said slowly. “What did you want with me today? I don’t think this is just about the mercenary.” There was no way that he had called me here just to praise me for my deeds. Especially since he specifically had Alicia bring me here, I could only assume whatever the headmaster wanted to discuss must’ve involved her.

I thought back on the last time I visited this room. He had talked about a variety of things with Shuya and me that day before finally getting around to the topic and telling us about the mole in the school. But it was different this time.

This time, the headmaster wasted no time telling us the truth: there was a dungeon discovered in the Lost Woods outside of campus.

“The army is in charge of scouting the vicinity of the school...” I trailed off. “It’s a blunder on my family’s—on House Denning’s part.”

“That is not necessarily the case. Knowing that a dangerous mercenary had infiltrated our school, the professors volunteered to scout the forest outside the campus to be certain nothing else lurked nearby, and it was then that they discovered the dungeon by chance. The forest outside this campus is very large. It is hard to lay blame for not finding a dungeon in such an enormous area solely at the feet of House Denning.”

Outside Kirsch Mage Institute, there was a vast, dense forest known as the Lost Woods. It was said that if someone went deep enough into the forest, it would be impossible for them to find their way out. Monsters lived in the forest; sometimes, because of that, the school would use the woods for classes in order to train with lesser creatures. The military on the other hand, under the command of House Denning, would periodically hunt down the monsters so that they wouldn’t invade the school.

And now, a new dungeon was discovered in the Lost Woods. Humans ruled the realm of the surface and all that the light touched, while monsters dwelt deep underground in their dungeon lairs.

“I can easily imagine that in the palace, people like Cardinal Maldini would be quick to do just that,” I said. “Lay blame at the feet of House Denning, I mean.”

“I cannot deny that is a distinct possibility. But he could also be a little grateful for the opportunity this grants him. After all—”

The discovery of the dungeon wasn’t everything that the headmaster wanted to tell me. There was more.

“They intend to use the dungeon for the selection of the Guardian Knight, huh...? When I came here, I wasn’t expecting to hear confidential information about Daryth’s royal family,” I muttered.

“The cardinal has full control over the Guardian Selection. From what I understand, he had been looking for an appropriate place to hold a trial for quite some time. I do not know what exactly they plan to do in the dungeon, but I hear that Princess Carina will come to Kirsch since the trial will involve her. It sounds like it will be quite the spectacle. The princess might even interact with students while the trials are underway,” the headmaster added.

The Guardian Knights were those few elite soldiers assigned either directly to the queen herself or to a crown princess. The current reigning queen and her sword, the Guardian Knight Rudolf, had a relationship like Charlotte and I had. The loyal Guardian Knight was expected to put the safety of their master above their own happiness, and to spend the rest of their life for their master’s sake. A Guardian Knight was the most honorable and respected position one could achieve in this country outside of the royal family itself. Only the best of the best among the Order of Royal Knights could earn this title.

Because of the critical nature of the role and how it could make or break the future of this country, information about the trial to select a Guardian Knight for Princess Carina was strictly confidential...and yet Alicia didn’t seem fazed by this information in the slightest. Well damn. She must have known about this beforehand.

“Princess Carina, coming to this school? Everyone would be overjoyed,” I said.

“Princess Carina deeply detests leaving the palace. That is probably why the cardinal picked Kirsch. I would hazard a guess that he wanted to give her a chance to interact with those more her age out of compassion for her.”

Her Highness, Princess Carina Little Daryth, was the heir to the throne. The anime only mentioned her name in passing, and there had been no information about her appearance at all. However, being born and raised in this world, I had clear memories of her. My impression of her was something like this: She had soft, slightly wavy golden hair. Her chest was quite the sight. She was a perfectionist and a hermit, but she actually didn’t have any ambition whatsoever. I could go on.

“May I ask why I was summoned here, then? That, and why does Alicia know about the dungeon and the Guardian Selection too? I would think this is information one would normally refrain from discussing around someone from another country.”

“Right now, preliminary trials for the Guardian Selection are being held in a few places across the country, and Royal Knights who put their name forward are participating. One of these trials is being held in Yoram, which, as you know, is not far from our school.”

Up until now, Alicia had held an air of indifference. The moment she heard this, however, she went very still, as if something piqued her interest.

“One of the Royal Knights in Yoram requested an audience with Alicia. They wish to greet her, as I understand it, since she attracted attention due to the incident with the mercenary.”

“A Royal Knight went out of their way to request an audience with Alicia...?” I was stunned.

“Indeed. A Guardian Knight must meet with major world leaders much more often compared to ordinary Royal Knights. Though such a request is a bit hasty in my opinion, Alicia must make the decision on her own. It is not mine to make on her behalf.”

Finally, I understood why Alicia was present. “Wait, did you actually...?” I stared at her.

Alicia harrumphed. “So what? It’s none of your business what I do.”

“That’s true, but...” She absolutely loathes troublesome things like granting people a formal audience, so why would she go through with this?

On top of that, it wasn’t the royal family of Daryth but a Royal Knight who made the request. She had no reason to accept.

“Slowe, Alicia was quick to accept the request. I had hoped she would reconsider, but it appears her mind is set.”

Despite all the reasons not to, Alicia was determined to head to Yoram like the headmaster said. I watched her. Something’s not quite right... There’s no way “Her Highness” Alicia would accept such a meet-and-greet. It’d be way too much trouble. There’s more to this than either of them are letting on.

“Headmaster Morozov, what exactly are the Royal Knights at Yoram expected to do for this trial?” I clearly saw Alicia freeze the moment the words left my mouth.

“Slowe, have you ever heard of the name ‘Borguie’?”

“...That’s the rogue mage who murdered a member of the royal family in Cirquista. Are you saying that—”

“There is word of a bandit group hiding in Yoram. Some few Royal Knights are tasked with eliminating this bandit group as part of the trials for the Guardian Selection, and we’ve received information that the Cirquistan criminal Borguie is among the bandits’ number.”

So that’s why Alicia accepted the request.

A few years ago, an incident occurred in Alicia’s home country of Cirquista.

There was a...quirky member of the Cirquistan royal family who chose to live in seclusion rather than in the royal palace. A group of bandits broke into their secret abode to steal the valuables there, expecting the owner to be away that day. However, the owner of the house was actually present, and of course they fought back with wand in hand against the intruders. After a battle of spells, they were slain by Borguie’s hand.

“The bandits responsible for the murder escaped the persistent search of the Cirquistan military led by the Knights of the Lake and managed to weasel their way into Daryth. It was the Cirquistan military who informed us about this bandit group’s whereabouts, apparently,” said the headmaster, his voice grave.

I peeked over at Alicia. She looked determined.

Borguie wasn’t as important an enemy as No Face, at least not in the anime. They had accepted a contract from Dustour for the pay and they were one of the villains who Shuya and his comrades ended up fighting. However, once Alicia had laid eyes on Borguie, she lost her cool and challenged them without a second thought to the consequences. If Shuya hadn’t been there to back her up, she would have met a cruel end.

“Headmaster, isn’t this a problem the Daryth military should see to?”

“The cardinal pulled some strings so that the matter fell under his jurisdiction and not that of House Denning. In other words, the Royal Knights were sent to take care of it instead of Daryth’s army. The Royal Knights in Yoram are probably quite eager to catch them too, if it means a better chance of becoming a Guardian Knight.”

“I hear that Borguie and his group still hold a grudge against the royal family of Cirquista. Letting Alicia go to Yoram where they’re holed up is...” I trailed off.

“Are you worried about her?” the headmaster asked.

“I wouldn’t say worried... It’s more that I think this decision isn’t like you, Headmaster. I mean, you’re always focused on keeping us safe and all.”

It wasn’t like the headmaster at all. He usually placed student safety above all else.

Alicia, who had been growing restless the entire conversation, clicked her tongue in displeasure. “Headmaster! Why are you telling the pig all this? He has nothing to do with this! Nothing!”

Well, yeah. This request for an audience from a Royal Knight is Alicia’s problem. I don’t see where I come in. Not to mention that the Guardian Selection is a very important event that will determine this country’s future. I’m just a student. This has nothing to do with me. Not to mention I’m still from House Denning, disgrace though I am to them. House Denning and the Order of Royal Knights struggle to cooperate because their Royal Knight Commander, Cardinal Maldini, doesn’t get along with my father at all.

“That’s not true at all, Alicia. He is very much an important player in this.”

Alicia hesitated. “What do you mean?”

The headmaster has already thanked me several times over for the whole mercenary thing, so why am I here? I wondered.

“Slowe,” the headmaster addressed me gravely. “Please brace yourself, and listen carefully to what I have to say.”

The headmaster picked up the piece of paper he had left on the table earlier and handed it out to me. “This letter is addressed to you from the cardinal... He formally requests that you participate in the Guardian Selection.”

“—Huh?” I croaked.

A request to participate in the Guardian Selection? For whom? Me, from House Denning?

No way, I thought. That’s silly.

The Guardian Knight would represent this country alongside the royal heir they were assigned to protect. As such, they were always chosen from among the ranks of the Order.

Me, attending a trial to become such an honorable knight? Me?

Just a little while ago, I was slandered as the Fallen Wind and an orc-to-be. People compared me to a monster—I was so scorned. The cardinal himself choosing me? Hold on, that’s ridiculous.

“A request for Piggy Slowe to participate in the Guardian Selection?! Th-That’s impossible! H-He... He’s a pig! And a Denning!” Alicia stammered. “There’s no way someone from House Denning could become a member of the Order!” Although Alicia had mostly held her tongue up to this point, the bombshell the headmaster just dropped was too much for her to ignore.

“Headmaster, Alicia’s right. Well, right about one thing, at least... Even if I’m a disgrace, I’m still from House Denning, the Order’s biggest rival. Are you sure this isn’t some kind of misunderstanding?” I asked.

House Denning always butted heads with the Order. The Order and the cardinal who led them placed the royal family on a pedestal and put their interests above that of all of Daryth’s citizens, while House Denning valued the peace and prosperity of the people above all else. This difference in values was the root of the conflict between the two powers.

Because of the looming threat of the Dustour Empire in the northern half of the continent, House Denning requested reinforcements from the Royal Knights to be sent to the front lines. Cardinal Maldini, the Royal Knight Commander, flat out refused. Due to this, tension was high between the two, and one could talk all day about their animosity towards each other.

I couldn’t imagine them sending a request for me, a Denning, to participate in the trials to become a Royal Knight. A Guardian Knight, no less.

“No, there is no mistake. I also could not help but question my ears when I first heard of the request, but...have a look. The official seal of the royal family is stamped on the parchment. I have checked it countless times. If you are still doubtful, see for yourself.”

The headmaster released the paper to allow it to flutter in the air, and I quickly sprinted over to the desk to catch it. That was definitely the seal of the royal family stamped onto the letter. There were no two ways about it: this was the real deal.

“So...this isn’t a joke.” It wasn’t a question.

“Indeed. This is an official request from the main branch of the royal family themselves. The royal family and the cardinal were very impressed by your accomplishment of capturing the mercenary. They likely surmised they stood to gain more by taking you under their wing, even if it meant further conflict with your father.”

Seriously? I didn’t think that defeating No Face would lead to political consequences.

“Kirsch has decided to remain a neutral party in this. My apologies, Slowe, but we cannot turn down an official request from the royal family. I cannot take a side between House Denning and the Order.”

“That’s...” I trailed off. “It can’t be helped. The cardinal’s order is equal to the will of the royal family. Nobody in this country can go against that.”

“We need to keep this under wraps. However, it probably won’t be long before your father finds out that the cardinal sent you a letter.”

Ah, so House Denning doesn’t know about this request right now, huh? I was just a student. I couldn’t decline a request sent directly to me from the royal family.

“Now then, Alicia. I have given you a few days to reconsider the matter, but are you still adamant on heading to Yoram?”

Alicia nodded firmly at the headmaster’s question.

“It will be dangerous, especially for you, since you’re a member of the royal family in Cirquista,” he warned. “The bandit Borguie and his fellows have a strong grudge against you all.”

“I’m well aware, but it’s silly to think I would pass this opportunity up. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to take revenge for my relative. If the culprit is there, then I will capture them with my own two hands. Please don’t forget that I am a mage too!” Alicia’s gaze was sharp and determined. Once the main heroine set her mind on something, nothing would dissuade her from carrying it out.

Even if Alicia claimed that all she would do in Yoram was grant the Royal Knight their audience, knowing her, she probably had no intention of coming back to the school until the bandits were taken care of. She’s putting herself in a lot of danger. The headmaster looks worried too, staring at her like that.

“Well then, Slowe, I think you need time to consider it too, but...”

I see... So that’s how it is. The headmaster didn’t have to say it out loud. I understood what he meant. The headmaster was worried about how eager Alicia was. That was why he called me together with her, so that I could see how precarious her situation was for myself.

I sighed inwardly. Might as well. I probably can’t decline the request from the cardinal anyway. “Headmaster, I’ll go with her.”

Oh well. It can’t be helped. But I guess I’ll play along just a bit... Taking the Guardian Selection would seriously be problematic as a Denning. But secretly watching over Alicia so that she doesn’t get into too much trouble in Yoram would be fine, right?

Ever since Professor Loco Moco took over, Magic Studies was filled with chaos.

This was all because the man standing at the lecturer’s podium wasn’t exactly the best fit for the job. His signature untamed curly hair and black shirt stuck out like a sore thumb as he rambled on about his unique theories on magic, making animated gestures all the while.

“Huh?” said the professor, incredulous. “The heck is with this curriculum? Wait, this old textbook is doin’ more than collectin’ dust? Professor Arle’s too old-fashioned... Oh, that’s right. She wasn’t actually a professor. Jeez, that No Face... Why did she teach like a Goody Two-shoes? And you lot! How did none of you students realize she was a crook? Did none of y’all realize that somethin’ was off in her class?! She wasn’t even a noble!”

Everyone had been excited to see how Professor Loco Moco would teach Magic Studies when it was announced he’d be taking over the subject. Since he also taught Practical Magic, the students expected to learn about practical applications of magic and not just textbook theory. It only took a few classes before that expectation was shattered...and the students were beginning to get fed up.

“Listen here, kiddos. You improve at magic by challengin’ yourself. Memorizin’ the textbook from cover to cover won’t do you no good. Theory just don’t hold a candle to experience. That’s just how it is,” the professor barked. “All right, kiddos, put away your textbooks. We won’t be needin’ them.”

The professor completely ignored the Magic Studies curriculum entirely... I almost had to admire his boldness. People even started saying that No Face—disguised as Professor Arle—had taught lessons in a more proper fashion than he was.

“When I went here, nobody read textbooks or anythin’ of the sort. We let our fists do the talkin’ from sunup to sundown, every single day. That’s how I became a Royal Knight, you see, and—”

I sat in my usual spot in the middle of the top row, watching the professor make a fool of himself. Annnd he’s rambling on and on about himself again. I won’t deny that hearing about his adventures was awe-inspiring the first time... His experiences from his adventurer days, and from when he became a Royal Knight... It got old pretty quick after listening to it for the hundredth time, though.

Disgruntled students leaned on their hands, planting their elbows on their desks.

Something hit my cheek out of nowhere. “Huh?” What the heck was that?

“What’s with that noise you just made, Denning?” the professor asked.

“Nothing, it’s nothing.”

The professor paused only for a moment before he turned back to the class. “I’m just puttin’ this out there, but I totally coulda caught No Face, no sweat,” he grumbled. “Right, okay, lemme tell y’all about back when I was an adventurer in the Adventurers’ Guilds. Back then, they called me The Earthcracker, and...”

The professor’s words faded to background noise as I frowned down at the thing that had hit me. “What’s this? A scrap of paper...?” I looked around. “Oh, it’s her...”

Of course Alicia would be petty enough to throw things at me. Normally she sat with her buddy, Shuya, but for some bizarre reason she chose to sit at the end of my row today. Honestly, it was the strangest thing I had seen for a while.

I turned to the side to look at her. She stared right at me with her large, doe-like eyes, her lips moving silently in what I could only guess was the chant for a spell. Looks like she was the culprit after all.

I did my best to ignore her, but it was hard when she kept pelting me with paper balls. Ow! I sighed, relenting and unraveling the last piece of paper that hit me. “The hell could she want...?” Written on the paper in a rounded scrawl was: “Why did you accept?”

“Look, I’m not tryin’ to tell ya kiddos you’re wrong or anythin’. Just that your last teacher did you no favors, makin’ you waste time with hittin’ the books instead of each other.” The professor paused, thinking. “Oh, here’s an idea. Newkern, you’d understand why this topic is so important. You’re registered with the Adventurers’ Guilds after all, aren’t ya?”

The professor’s lecture went in one ear and out the other; my mind was already drifting back to the request I’d gotten from the cardinal. Sure, the piece of goat-skin parchment the headmaster had given me requested my participation in the Guardian Selection, but it didn’t give me anything else to go off of. No reasoning, no further explanation, nothing.

I didn’t know what the royal family wanted from me, but I accepted the request in the end. Apparently Alicia hadn’t seen this life-changing decision coming. Wait, does she think I’d ignore an order from the royal family themselves? Seriously?

“P-Professor, what are you talking about? I-I have absolutely no idea what you mean! Seriously! I swear!” Anyone with eyes could see right through Shuya’s unconvincing protests.

“Shuya Newkern. You registered as an adventurer three years ago, and you hold the rank of Pallor Demon.” Here, the professor decided to clarify. “Oh, right. Uh, Demon is used in the guild to indicate your rank...but most of you were brought up in noble houses, so you probably have no idea what the official titles are, huh? Hmm, what about D Rank? Does that ring a bell? Basically, Newkern can hold his own as an adventurer. He’s not half bad. Doesn’t look like he’s cleared any dungeons, though.”

“H-Huuuh?!” Shuya shouted. “Hey, wait a minute! How do you know all of this, Professor?! I’ve never told anyone about that!”

“Us professors have access to any document submitted to the school, ya know, not just Newkern’s. Keep that in mind.”

“That’s an invasion of privacy! An abuse of authority!” Shuya exclaimed.

“He might not look it, but Newkern’s a good kid who’s got a whole lotta motivation to improve.” The professor turned to address Shuya directly. “That’s why you’ll be getting special training from yours truly. Up you get, Newkern. C’mere.”

The redhead—Shuya Newkern—was the protagonist of the anime Shuya Marionette. This so-called protagonist was a hot-blooded mage with a high affinity for fire magic, and you could usually find him not far from Alicia’s side. But her eyes were on me, not Shuya, and she threw another wad of paper at me. I guess I should have expected the demand: “Answer me now!”

“Hm, Greatlorde. You’ll do nicely. Pair up with Newkern here,” said the professor.

“Hold on a second, please!” Valjean exclaimed. “Why do I have to be Newkern’s partner?!”

“You two fight like cats and dogs, don’t you?” the professor said with a shrug. “Compatibility is key for stuff like this. If you’re up against someone you hate, you’d be more motivated to keep going until you win. This kinda emotion is useful fuel for tappin’ into new spells or magic. Newkern, if you manage to tap into earth magic with this, you’ll become a dual element master of fire and earth. Sounds great, right?”

Alicia probably wouldn’t want Shuya to worry about her when she held that audience with the Royal Knight. She’d most likely head off to Yoram without telling him the real reason behind the trip, and Shuya wouldn’t be around to protect her regardless of what went down. That’s why I decided to watch over her in Shuya’s stead. I didn’t think much of it, just going with the flow, but... If I told her that straight up, she’d probably throw a fit.

“All righty, Greatlorde, go give Newkern a couple slaps to the cheek. As for you, Newkern, picture using an earth spell in your mind to stop Greatlorde’s hand and use your magic. You can’t potentially tap into a new element without being pushed to your limit, ya know?”

The classroom buzzed with excitement.

I wrote “I don’t owe you an explanation. At all.” down on a scrap of paper of my own and scrunched it up before lobbing it at Alicia’s face. Then I turned my attention to the two students facing off against each other on the lecture podium.

“Shuya Newkern. I’m only going to say this once. I know you’ve made fun of me behind my back for being ‘poor’ before.”

“Valjean Greatlorde. Your family’s lands may be vast, but you have nothing to show for it except for your house standing. Do you really think you can manage the Greatlorde lands in the future?” Shuya huffed. “Plus, I’m right on the money when I say you have none. You’ll hand over your people if you know what’s good for them.”

House Newkern and House Greatlorde shared neighboring territories in the southeast of Daryth. The civilians who lived on those lands weren’t bound by convention and generally moved about freely between the two families’ lands.

Because of that, the baron of Newkern and the earl of Greatlorde both resorted to all kinds of methods to entice citizens into staying on their respective lands. I’d heard that Newkern had pulled ahead in terms of migration and the subsequent benefits from it. Being the heirs to these rival families, it was only natural that these two butted heads like their fathers did. I guess that’s why they don’t get along at all.

“You seem pretty popular with the commoners lately,” Shuya sneered. “How befitting of an earl house—”

“You’re one to talk. You’re from a baron house, how dare you look down on me—” Valjean hissed in reply.

Wow, these two have no shame. I sighed at their antics. They were nobles, for goodness’ sake. Seeing them act like this made me fear for this country’s future.

Professor Loco Moco might’ve been the ideal instructor for a combat-based class like Practical Magic, but he had absolutely no idea how to handle a theory-based class like Magic Studies. Oh well. I can rely on him in an emergency if it comes down to that. I can’t be too picky.

From the corner of my eye, I saw something move, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked over only to find Alicia had moved four seats over.

“—Huh?!” I gasped, startled. I hadn’t even seen her move; she must’ve snuck nimbly like a cat to the seat right next to me while my focus was on Shuya and Valjean. “Since when did you get that close?”

“Everyone’s watching those two dunderheads, so nobody’s going to notice us talking,” she said. “So, why did you accept the cardinal’s request? It’s not like you actually have a shot at becoming a knight even if you wanted to. In fact, you’re a pig, so I’d say your chances are in the negatives.”

“‘Dunderheads’ and negative chances, huh?” I quoted her. “You’re just casually dropping disses left and right.”

“Just tell me the reason!”

I held my silence for a moment. “I’m still a Denning, but I was a good-for-nothing for a long time,” I said slowly. “That’s what people think of me right now. No matter how many accomplishments I achieve that are deserving of commendation, my past won’t disappear.”

“That’s your own fault. Even in Cirquista, you’re made fun of as a clown with thick skin. However, if your father ever hears that you, a Denning, went along with his biggest rival, the cardinal and the Royal Knight Commander both... You’ll never hear the end of it.”

“A request from the cardinal is equal to a request from the royal family in this country,” I argued. “I can’t just turn that down.”

“The royal family?” Alicia was taken aback. “Why would the royal family send someone like you a request like that?”

“Hell if I know. But, well, it couldn’t hurt to make the cardinal owe me one. You just don’t mess around with that old man’s political influence.”

Though it would have made more sense to summon me alone to discuss the request from the cardinal, the headmaster probably had summoned us both that day because he secretly wanted me to watch over Alicia. He seemed worried about her, since she had gone through a frightening experience with the mercenary and all that. It was most likely meant to be just a small favor on his end.

Did this mean that I’d earned his trust?

That wasn’t the only reason, in any case. I couldn’t just tell her that I wanted to keep an eye on her and keep her stubbornness in check. I’d sooner take that particular thought to my grave. Truth be told, the bit about wanting to curry the cardinal’s favor was me fumbling for any excuse, but it seemed that Alicia bought it. Well, well... She is quite a troublesome princess.

“I wasted my time asking you. That’s such a boring reason,” she said.

“Oh, shut up... What about you? Do you really think you’re going to make that bandit group pay for their actions? They murdered royalty! It’s a problem even the Royal Knights are trying to deal with, in case you forgot.”

“I am royalty,” Alicia argued. “I can’t just hole up in the school knowing that my relative’s murderer is still at large. I repeat, I am royalty. Cirquista is part of my name, and it holds weight. You wouldn’t know a thing about the significance of that.”

“The duty of royalty, huh?” I muttered. “If I remember right, though, you weren’t even that close to the relative who died. They were a prime target of bandits because even among the Cirquistan royal family they were treated as a lunatic and sent off to live on their own.”

“How do you know so much...?” Alicia glared at me hard. The glare of a beautiful person was hard to bear. Even though I only spoke the truth, I withered under the force of that stare.

This was bad. I needed to figure out a way to throw her suspicion off. Urgh, I need to break the habit of talking about knowledge I gained from anime and other media without thinking. “Well...” I hesitated. “I mean, what I want to say is... Are you able to put your life on the line for a person you’ve never met?”

“Your world revolves around yourself. You wouldn’t understand my pain at all...” Alicia trailed off. She changed the topic instead of elaborating. “Whatever. Back to my original question. Is that really the whole story?”

“I want the cardinal’s favor. That’s it. It’s like you said, I only think for myself.” I shrugged.

Alicia paused. “I really, really wasted my time asking you. That’s a stupid reason for accepting his request.”

“All right, Newkern, Greatlorde. Back to your seats. Head to the infirmary later and get them to cast a healin’ spell on you. Oh, but make sure you tell no one that you got hurt during Magic Studies, you hear me? Uh... If anyone asks, tell ’em you got it in Practical Magic. Bein’ a professor makes things complicated for me and all that.”

Shuya headed up the stairs towards his seat, nursing a swollen face. Just before he could plop down, however, he let out a confused “Huh?” and stared up at us two in surprise.

“Alicia... Haven’t you realized?” I muttered.

“What?”

“You’re too close to me. Everyone’s looking at you.”

“Huh? Aaah!” Alicia yowled when she finally realized all the attention she had attracted, swiftly moving back to her original seat.

“The homework for this week...” The professor trailed off. “All right, I want y’all to think about what element you would awaken if you were to manage tappin’ into a new one. Include your reasonin’ for it and prepare to demonstrate why in the next class.”

Surprisingly, the homework he gave was quite meaningful. Few nobles would consider practicing a new element because they were used to using magic of their own element since childhood. The professor’s assignment would be good for them to start thinking outside of their comfort zone.

None of these applied to me, though, since I was a mage of all elements. As I thought that, Shuya looked over at me furtively. His raging fight against Lord Pauper had left him with red, swollen cheeks.

“Oh, that’s right. I nearly forgot. No homework for Denning and Cirquista,” the professor said, almost as an afterthought. “The old co— I mean, the headmaster has a special extracurricular assignment for the two of you.”

Everyone’s gazes focused on Alicia and me back in the top row. I could hear accusing voices echoing up from the rows of seats below. Shuya also stared at me with incredulous eyes, asking silently, “Why you?”

“Also, you two are exempt from the rest of your afternoon classes. And before anyone says anything, yes, this is special treatment, but there is good reason for that. If you kiddos want special treatment too, then you’ll just have to earn it. Work on gettin’ yourselves some sorta status, power, or connections. That’s all for today.” The professor’s statement left no room for young, naive ideas about how the world operated.

And with that, he dismissed us from Magic Studies class.

The sky was clear today, as if the heavens didn’t have a single care in the world.

“Time to dig in, oink!” For the midday meal, we were free to choose between eating food hot off the stove in the dining hall or takeout lunch boxes. I was in the mood for a lunch box today; sitting on a bench in front of the main campus square, I wolfed down my lunch under that cheerful blue sky.

The lawn was neatly trimmed, and birdsong echoed over the grounds. You couldn’t find such a natural environment anywhere in the city. Though the incident with the mercenary was still fresh in my mind, today, Kirsch was peaceful as always.

Suddenly, a blond sat beside me on the bench. “Lord Slowe, may I ask about the statement Professor Loco Moco made earlier?”

Lord Pauper’s golden locks swayed gently in the wind, and he sighed as he fiddled with his hair. Though he was a handsome man possessed of an almost otherworldly beauty, it was a little painful just looking at the cuts and bruises left on his cheek.

“What’s this about an extracurricular assignment with Lady Alicia? Does this have anything to do with the Royal Knights?”

“H-Hey Lord Pauper, you can’t just appear out of nowhere and start bombarding me with questions,” I protested. “What do you mean by ‘to do with the Royal Knights’?”

“The headmaster recommended a well-performing student to the Order in the past. You captured the mercenary during that uproar the other day, so I thought it might be...” Valjean trailed off. “What’s with that face? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say I was right! W-Wait, don’t tell me... Did you skip the Royal Knight stage and go straight to Guardian Knight?! Oh goodness, if you become a Guardian Knight, please recommend me to the Order! Pretty please!”

“Don’t be silly!” I exclaimed. “Are you still half asleep or something?!” Though I said that out loud, inwardly, my heart was racing. Valjean had hit the nail right on the head. “A Guardian Knight is an honor that only one person in this entire country can earn! You know that!”

“But you used to be the Prodigy of Wind, Lord Slowe. The royal family regarded you highly back then too, or so I’m told.”

“That’s all in the past! Listen up. The Order has a massive grudge against House Denning which, in case you forgot, is my House. Not only that, but up until only recently, I was so infamous that I wasn’t even treated as human!”

“Ah, that’s true. House Denning and the Order are like oil and water. Now that I think about it, the odds of you becoming a Royal Knight are about as high as a dragon doing tap dance.”

“Hey, you! You praise me one moment, but then mock me the next! What the heck!” I complained. “Forget it. I wanted to ask you about Charlotte. Is she doing okay at her job as a maid?”

Charlotte worked as a waitress in the dining hall now, having been reassigned from washing dishes. Valjean worked hard part-time there too. He was Charlotte’s coworker, and he also helped her out whenever he could as they both tackled the so-called “morning battlefield.”

“Miss Charlotte? Well, she was pretty awful on the first day, but you don’t have to worry about her anymore. She’s getting along with the maids too. She’s a really good girl. Honestly, it’s hard to fathom that she’s your retainer.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, she was with you during your dark period. I was just impressed that her personality didn’t take a turn for the worse.” Valjean let out a chuckle.

“Knock it off,” I huffed. “Anyways, if you want to enter the Order, practice using light spells. Most of the Knights can use light magic.”

“That’s true. That’s a more realistic option than hoping you become the Guardian Knight and pass along a recommendation for me...”

“Buttering me up for my social connections, huh?” I muttered. “Go on, shoo. Go practice.”

Valjean nodded his head in agreement, getting up to go head to the training field or something. Professor Loco Moco had just handed out a new assignment, so other people were probably working on it there too. Nobles usually headed there to practice magic even during lunch.

The warm sun was pleasant, and I stifled a yawn. I closed my eyes and basked in the breeze. That was when a voice called out to me. “L-Lord Denning! Haaah... There you are! I finally found you!” A female student suddenly appeared like an unexpected gust of wind. The girl paused to catch her breath. “U-Um, is it true that you’re going to stay over at my family’s inn?!”

Her breasts jiggled. I stared at the ground in reflex as the girl huffed and puffed. I was a naive and innocent noble. This was too much for me.

“The inn! Lord Denning!”

“Inn? What inn? Please calm down, Tina. Take a deep breath. One, two, three.”

Tina breathed in and out. “Haaah... Wait, that’s not it! You’re going to Yoram, right?!”

“You haven’t calmed down at all.”

“I am! Super! Duper! Calm!” Tina insisted. “So about that! You’re heading to Yoram soon, right?!”

“Uh... How do you know that, Tina?” Professor Loco Moco had spilled the beans and everyone knew that Alicia and I were leaving campus for an “extracurricular assignment.” However, our destination was still kept a big secret. I couldn’t imagine Alicia telling anyone where we were going either.

“My mom contacted me and asked about what food you like, so I figured that could be the only explanation! It looks like my guess was right on point!”

“Wait... Is Gordoni—”

“That’s my place! My house!”

“Shush! You’re being loud!”

After that conversation, I made Tina promise solemnly to not breathe a word of it to anyone. In exchange for looking over her mini earth golem homework sometime, I made her promise not to tell anyone where I and Alicia were headed for that “extracurricular assignment.”

I’d been lounging on the chair in my room after dinner when a single maid barged in.

“Master Slowe, I have heard it all!”

“Wh-Who are you?!” A trespasser?! I didn’t call for any maids!

The maid tilted her head in question. “What are you talking about? It’s me!”

“Oh, Charlotte... I didn’t recognize you in that maid uniform.” Charlotte beamed at me, as though it was totally usual for her to wear a white apron on top of a black dress. For whatever reason, she had a bulging bag strapped to her back.

“Wait, did you already hear about...” I trailed off.

“Yes! You’re heading off to Yoram with Lady Alicia at first light, right? Here, please take a look! I’m already all prepared!” Charlotte dropped the bag onto the ground with a loud thud. What in the world had she put in there?

“I asked for a break from my chores for a while, too, so I’m all set!” Saying that, she opened her bag. She’d packed all the necessities for an overnight venture tightly inside, and then some.

Words of praise for Charlotte hung at the tip of my tongue, along the lines of, “I should expect nothing less from you, Charlotte. You’re so efficient.” But I swallowed my words when I spotted her staring dreamily past me.

“I didn’t think you would become a Guardian Knight... Master Slowe, the protector of royalty...”

“I haven’t gotten the job yet. Plus, I did accept the request, but I don’t plan on seriously aiming for that title.”

“Huuuh?! Don’t be ridiculous!!!”

Charlotte was over the moon, whispering under her breath about me being a Royal Knight with a brilliant smile. She was happier than me for my not-yet-achievement, and it put a bounce in her step as she made the preparations for my journey.

“Roooyal Kniiight, Guaaardian Kniiight,” she sang. “The princess is theeere. You’ll be summoned for a dinner party in the royal couuurt. I’ll be summoned toooo. And there will be lots of fooood. But I’ll watch over you so that you don’t eat too muuuch. But in the end, you won’t be able to help yourself...and you’ll eat and eaaat...and you’ll grow fat...again...”

Charlotte took out the clothes for me from the closet and started stuffing them into her bag as she sang strange lyrics to an even stranger tune. However, her smile wilted more and more as she sang. “And Master Slowe became a piglet with a white cape...”

Even Charlotte of all people had a hard time shaking off my negative image. Guess it really stuck with her after all these years of dealing with me.

My first goal was, and still is, to lose the most weight in the shortest amount of time possible. I’m not trying to bite off more than I can chew and hope to become a lean, muscular guy, but I’d kill to be a normal weight at least!

However, I’d only recently escaped the range of extreme obesity. If I had the real weight loss potion from the speed-eating contest, everything might be a lot easier, but Charlotte had smashed that into smithereens. I couldn’t possibly fork up the money for the weight loss potion sold at the market right now, ridiculously pricey as it was. For the time being, I continued drinking Charlotte’s original weight loss potion, but it didn’t seem to have much effect. There I was thinking that maybe I should stop drinking it soon, when—

“Oh yeah, there are a few things I have to give to you.” Charlotte looked proud of herself as she handed over a bottle to me, filled with a thick, cloudy liquid.

What in the world was it? There was something long and thin floating in the murky liquid. “Uh, there’s something in here.”

“It’s a cute little Greasy Earthworm!”

“That’s... Whoever named that thing has a horrific sense for giving names...”

“Master Slowe, have you never heard of the cute Greasy Earthworm?”

“Of course I’ve never heard of it. Oh my... This thing’s eye is huge...”

Charlotte giggled. “Please don’t be surprised when you hear this! This cute Greasy Earthworm is actually...” Charlotte paused for effect. “Who would have guessed? It’s a monster used in weight loss potions made specifically for mages, so it’s perfect for you, since you’re on a diet! Master Slowe, please shake the bottle!”

I shook the bottle as told, and the Greasy Earthworm inside snapped its one eye wide open. Th-The hell?! This thing is scary as heck! It’s still alive and kicking in there! I nearly dropped this dang bottle!

“Please shake it carefully. This bottle cost an entire month’s salary!”

I was silent for a moment. “Charlotte. You didn’t have to spend money on something so...trendy...like this.”

“If you lose weight, then my value as your personal retainer will shoot right up, so I think of it as an investment. But I don’t have any money left, so I think this will be the last weight loss potion I can make for you... So please, cherish it.”

Charlotte then started regaling me with the effectiveness of the Greasy Earthworm and how much trouble she had gone through to get it, but...how was I supposed to tell her that she’d probably been scammed? Sorry, Charlotte. It will react to my mana and I’ll lose weight, you say? And burn my fat? I’ve never heard of something like that.

It was the oldest trick in the book. An adventurer with money troubles would catch a new monster never seen before and sell it to a normal civilian, faking its effects to make a quick buck. But since this was the last weight loss potion Charlotte had made for me, I decided to not prod too much and to drink it with appreciation.

Charlotte hummed happily to herself, turning back to my closet. “Ah, that’s my handkerchief. I thought I’d lost it, but it was in Master Slowe’s room, huh. Hee hee hee...” She giggled.

Charlotte continued cleaning my room and packing necessities. According to her, we didn’t know how long we would be away for, so she intended on cleaning my room fully before our departure. Honestly, Charlotte might not like to hear this, but she looked exactly like a maid when she was wearing that maid’s uniform. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Charlotte, you look pretty happy today.”

“Up until now, I had pretty much acted as your personal maid. But now... I can finally do work fit for a retainer for once! Okay then, I’m nearly done with the cleaning. Are you ready, Master Slowe?”

“Ready...? Wait, are you—”

The Greasy Earthworm still stared at me from inside the bottle. Its one eye seemed to demand, “Let me out of here at once!” Was Charlotte trying to tell me to drink this right here, right now? I-I’m not ready yet! I gulped. To my delight and surprise, Charlotte took something out of her breast pocket instead.

“Ta-da! I’ve actually got a letter for you.”

The handwriting on the front of the envelope was neat and tidy, and I recognized it as my mother’s. How long had it been since I’d last gotten a letter from her? In her long and tedious letter, she demanded answers about what happened at the school, what I did, and what kind of spells I used to capture the mercenary.

Like the headmaster said, House Denning still seemed to be in the dark about the invitation from the cardinal addressed to me. Still, this is such skilled penmanship... But it’s so cursive-y that it’s hard to actually read!

“Um, Master Slowe, look at this part...” Charlotte’s delicate finger pointed at a certain section of the letter.

“You already read that far?” I looked over and I was shocked silent for a moment. “Huh? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

To sum it up, my father had returned from the front lines and would be coming to Kirsch in person to ask about what had happened with the mercenary.

“He’s just going to drop all of his responsibilities and come here?” I said at length.

“The duke cherished you a lot before, so...” Charlotte trailed off.

“Still, it’s too sudden.”

Charlotte hesitated. “Yeah.”

A heavy silence hung between the two of us. Like Charlotte said, my father had doted on me in the past. Back in the day, it was by my father’s insistence that I was chosen as the heir to House Denning despite being the youngest child.

“What will happen to us? Would they make us go back? I mean, no other duke houses have sent their children to this school, so...” Charlotte let out a whisper. Her earlier cheerfulness had vanished, and she teared up.

Yeah... I get where she’s coming from. My father is an extremely strict military leader. I don’t know how many times he’s brought his iron fist down on me after I became the blackhearted Piggy Duke. He doesn’t cut Charlotte any slack either. In fact, he’s the one who took away Charlotte’s wand and her right to wield it.

“Let’s just focus on preparing for our trip for now. We’ll worry about that later.”

“Y-Yeah... We’re not going to be able to talk them out of it either...”

A short while later...

“I’ll hold it!” Charlotte argued.

“No, I will!” I rebutted.

“I’m your retainer, so I will!”

We bickered animatedly with each other, arguing about who should be the one to carry our luggage to the horse carriage waiting by the school gates. Anything to distract us from the reality that letter had dropped upon us.