novelraw Chapter 31 : Chapter 31
Chapter 31 : Chapter 31
Chapter 31
"Puhaha… Ethan Dora Charasen! I heard you lifted a stone? Body… Magic? Are you trying to become a knight or something?"
Yezhov Asgasil, a handsome, blond-haired man a head taller than Ethan, jeered at him.
Even with ‘Dora’ in his name, not many people directly condemned Ethan for being an illegitimate child, because at the end of the day, Ethan was of the Charasen family. Even if they chattered loudly enough for him to hear from behind, they would always have an excuse ready, claiming he must have misheard if Ethan ever confronted them. They wouldn't dare mock someone from a ducal family to their face. But Asgasil was from the royal family of the Yekatan Kingdom. Yezhov was a prince.
Since the Yekatan Kingdom was far from Yurmus, Yezhov had left for Yekatan just before the vacation. Now that the vacation was over, Yezhov, having heard the story of Ethan lifting a stone with his hands, had come gleefully to tease him.
"If you want to be a knight, why don't you quit magic school and apply to be a squire?"
The group that hung around with Yezhov laughed along with his words. Ethan completely ignored Yezhov and walked down the hallway. The hallway was short; he only had to endure about three taunts. Of course, Ethan could have saved, beaten Yezhov to a pulp, and then loaded to come back. As many times as he wanted, even. Once that thought crossed his mind, Ethan felt much more at ease.
Demi spoke.
He answered, then added.
<…But if you're not going to use it for private matters, why even learn black magic?>
Before Ethan turned the corner, Yezhov spoke to his back.
"You might have gotten through Basic Magic Practice by grunting and lifting a rock. But how do you plan to pass Standard Magic Practice with a trick like that? Huh?"
It seemed he said something more after that, but only the sound of ridicule grew louder. Yezhov's last words, however, stuck in Ethan's mind. Because he was right.
∞
After killing all the Madowon Mazok, Ethan returned to the school. The only ones who knew Ethan had fought a difficult battle were Dean Aincheler, Rebilton, and Bien. At first, Rebilton seemed unable to believe it, but after hearing that Dean Aincheler had confirmed it, he trusted Ethan. From Ethan's perspective, it seemed Dean Aincheler had a way of confirming various facts within the school through some kind of magic.
And before a day had passed, a bat symbolizing the Madowon flew to Yurmus Magic School carrying a letter. The letter's content was simple. The Madowon's Mazok had gone missing. It asked if they knew anything about it.
Aincheler sent back a rather brazen reply. 'Next to Yurmus Magic School lies the Yurmus Forest. This forest is so dense with trees that it was once called the Dark Forest, and it is easy to get lost. Many people lose their way and go missing here. Even magic school students, ignoring the warnings of their professors, sometimes enter the forest and come to harm. In fact, such an incident is presumed to have happened this year as well. And it seems your Mazok also entered that forest.
However, I do not know why those Mazok went there. They seemed to be looking for one of our school's diligent students, muttering about black magic, but I dared not tell them. Upon later confirmation, I found they had intimidated a Yurmus Forest Keeper, probably assuming a student had recklessly fled into the forest. But on the honor of Yurmus Magic School, no student from our school has fled into the forest. The Forest Keeper also had incorrect information. Since there are no students who use black magic, there is no reason for one to flee.
I saw the Mazok send a bat to the east before they left for the forest. The facts should be sufficiently understood. As the Dean, I deeply regret the Empire's Madowon interfering with our school, but on a moral and humanitarian level between our two nations, I will send the Forest Keepers into the forest to search for the Mazok in order to help them.'
Aincheler padded this content with all sorts of fancy embellishments in an archaic style, making it ten times longer, and the Madowon sent back only a short reply saying, 'Understood'. They were clearly fed up.
Rebilton judged that for the time being, the Madowon and the Empire would be unable to take any action. The force the Madowon lost was significant. If this force was not enough, they would have to send a larger one, but that would be a great diplomatic burden. 'Inquisition,' that is, opposing black magic, was a universal trend seen anywhere in Damarat Yuma. But wielding that power in another country was a different matter. If they sent a large number of combatants to invade another country, it would provoke a huge backlash not only from Yurmus but from various other nations as well. No matter how strong the Empire was, maintaining a state of tension would be a burden.
Moreover, there was no evidence that Yurmus Magic School was involved in the disappearance of the Madowon Mazok. Dean Aincheler's letter, though heavily exaggerated, was persuasive. The nobles of other countries who would act as witnesses between the two nations would believe Dean Aincheler. The Empire's own history of recklessly wielding military power in other countries under the pretext of an inquisition was now holding it back.
When Ethan learned that Dean Aincheler had taken care of everything, including the Mazok corpses and the traces of the fight, he asked a question in the Dean's office.
"Why are you going this far for me? Being a black mage should be grounds for denunciation in Yurmus, too.“
The Madowon Mazok had pursued a student who seemed to have fled into the forest, believing him to be a black mage, but the Madowon Mazok were wiped out in an ambush, leaving no information behind. Thanks to this, the Madowon and the Empire would solidify their suspicion that there was a black mage in Yurmus, but they would be unable to confirm who it was.
The bonsai pot perched atop Dean Aincheler's neck remained like a bare tree branch, even as the season passed. Ethan felt the urge to water it.
"Then?"
Ethan asked.
"Does Yurmus Magic School represent the will of the Council of Mages?"
Ethan paid close attention to the words that they could have conflicting opinions.
"How much does the Council of Mages know about me?"
"…Then isn't it not a reflection of the Council of Mages' will?"
As Aincheler chuckled,
In the end, it meant Aincheler had helped Ethan of his own accord.
"…I will bring water with me the next time I come to the Dean's office."
<…Pardon?>
But Ethan had only solved one problem. Before Ethan left the Dean's office, Aincheler warned him.
∞
"Alright. Let's summarize the situation."
Bien said in the Combat Magic workshop.
"…You killed all the Madowon Mazok. There were twenty-one of them, you said? Even with black magic, it's startling. The private soldiers of a Mazok family are by no means weak. On a battlefield, you'd need at least five, or even ten depending on the situation, ordinary soldiers against one of them. They say it's worth sacrificing a cavalryman to take down a Mazok soldier."
Ethan spoke honestly.
"Yeah. If I fought them head-on, I wouldn't be able to beat even the weakest Mazok."
"What's more startling is that you killed an elder. I think I could handle the scion of an influential family if I was lucky. As for Shirund Zen, from what I know, he was over 200 years old."
"He didn't look that old."
"Most Mazok don't age. That's why they chose to become what they are."
"And he was arrogant."
Bien shook his head.
"A good-for-nothing mage who entered the magic school under his family's name, just got a title with the help of his relatives, and struts around—if he's arrogant, he deserves to die. But Shirund was arrogant because he had every right to be. From what you've told me, he actually seems rather humble for a Mazok. Shirund died because he was unlucky enough to show you a blind spot."
Ethan nodded.
"Thanks for the compliment."
Bien adjusted his glasses.
"It is not a compliment, Ethan. In fact, I already heard Mr. Yezhov mocking you earlier. His accusations are unjust, and it is true that his actions tarnish the honorable name of Asgasil. Nevertheless, there is something Mr. Yezhov was not wrong about."
Bien pointed at Ethan.
"That if things continue like this, you, Ethan, will fail the Standard Magic Practice exam and be expelled from Yurmus Magic School."
"…Ugh."
"You'll take on the Emperor? That's ridiculous on your own. No matter how many Mazok you kill, that doesn't guarantee your strength. The Emperor is Kario Arnesia. That man killed the Demon King by himself when he was a hero. If you want to accomplish anything, you must find connections and seek teachings here at Yurmus Magic School. If you get kicked out of the magic school, what do you have to rely on? You'd just be a student expelled from some magic school."
Ethan grumbled.
"…Where in the world did the kindness from the contract go?"
Bien placed a hand squarely on Ethan's shoulder and said.
"This is my kindness, Ethan."
Ethan avoided Bien's gaze and brought up the window he had minimized to the corner of his vision.
'Is this all I can rely on?'
[Quest Success!]
['Quest: Defeat Shirund Zen (B)']
[Reward: 480 Experience Points]
[Reward: B-rank Lottery Coupon]
With the feeling of a gambler betting all his remaining money at the casino, Ethan now hoped that the B-rank Lottery Coupon would solve all his problems.