Chapter 210
In the eastern forest of the Academy.
The Schuler were split evenly into teams and were engaged in a Mock War.
Xia, wearing a blue armband, slammed her fist into the ground.
Kwaaang—!
“Kwaaagh!”
“Keeek!”
Schuler with red armbands, along with several monsters, were flung high into the air.
The Schuler who had been fleeing clicked their tongues as they watched.
“That side…… is insanely strong. Especially that scarf guy and the spiky-haired one!”
“Don’t give up. We’ve got Heidel and Keirin too, so the balance should roughly match!”
After all the red-armband Schuler had retreated, Kunking spat on the ground and glared at Xia.
“Brat. Don’t send them flying so hard. I can’t even rack up Contribution Score.”
“Shut it, sea urchin.”
Xia replied in a cold tone without even looking at him, and Kunking’s eyebrow twitched.
“You little—. If we weren’t on the same team, I’d beat you senseless right now.”
“Then try it.”
“Yeah? Want to go?”
“S-Stop fighting between teammates, please! If you two fight, we’re all finished!”
“Cut it out! If this keeps up, the professor will seriously scold us!”
The blue-armband Schuler rushed in like a swarm of bees and pulled the two apart.
Meanwhile, elsewhere……
“Let’s take a short break!”
Ren’s group, wearing red armbands.
Ren, Elined, Keirin, and Arlehart caught their breath beneath a tree.
Ren hesitated slightly before speaking.
“Would you perhaps accompany me to Professor Jennings after this training ends?”
“What’s wrong? Are you still worried about the young master?”
“……To be honest, yes.”
Ren slowly nodded.
“Sir Villed is clearly a Schuler as well. Yet he alone was excluded from this training, was he not?”
“I think they also tried to deliberately leave Villed out during the last Visitation Event. He must’ve fallen out of favor with the professor.”
Elined agreed with Ren’s words.
“Yes, such treatment is not right.”
As Ren clenched his fist tightly while answering, Keirin smiled brightly.
“I’ll go too~ If the young master’s there, training will probably be more fun!”
“……I do not oppose it either.”
With both Keirin and the Imperial Princess agreeing, they decided to ask Jennings for an explanation together.
……And so, the training ended.
The four of them headed straight for Jennings’ office.
“Phew…….”
Standing before the door, Ren took a deep breath and knocked.
“Come in.”
Creak. As they opened the door and entered the office, they saw Jennings reading documents.
Beside him stood Chariot, wearing his uniform cap low, hands clasped behind his back in silence.
Although Jennings was clearly aware of their presence, he did not even lift his gaze.
Nevertheless, Ren lightly bowed his head and spoke.
“Professor Jennings,”
“Is it you all? I am busy, so state your business only.”
“There is a Schuler who did not participate in this training.”
Only then did Jennings’ eyes turn toward Ren.
Adjusting his glasses, Jennings spoke.
“……Elined, 51 points, 3rd place.”
“……!”
Elined flinched, her eyes widening slightly.
“Keirin, 47 points, 5th place. Arlehart, 42 points, 7th place. Ren, 30 points, 11th place.”
What Jennings had just recited were the rankings of Contribution Score from the first practice training.
“Not bad.”
Jennings nodded lightly and continued.
“This institution is generous toward talent, so I shall grant speaking rights. However.”
His sharp gaze shifted to Elined.
“Only to the one with the highest score among you.”
“……!”
Ren’s eyes widened, but no words left his mouth.
“…….”
Elined stepped forward and met Jennings’ gaze.
“I wish to know the reason for the absence of the Schuler who did not attend training.”
“Did you come all this way to say something so trivial?”
Jennings spoke with a faintly disappointed expression.
“Unnecessary power is poison. Thus, I excluded him. Does that suffice?”
Elined shook her head.
“……I cannot accept that. Why do you consider Villed to be poison, Professor?”
“I thought that with your high performance, you would understand. Have you not yet reached that level? Then perhaps Keirin will understand.”
Jennings’ gaze turned to Keirin.
“Understand what?”
Keirin blinked.
“You can see the Magical Energy within one’s body, can you not?”
“Ah, yes~ I see it as blue light!”
“Then describe how the lights of those before you appear.”
“Hmm…….”
Keirin closed her eyes and spoke.
“Professor, yours is enormous…… and Miss Pinzer’s flame is blazing brightly! Ren and Her Imperial Highness also look brighter than other students~”
“Then how did Dedencman appear?”
“Small. Very.”
“You heard her, did you not?”
Jennings spoke as though satisfied.
“Dedencman’s Magical Energy is miserable. I have never seen a student at the Academy with Magical Energy as pitiful as his. With that pathetic level of Magical Energy, what exactly does he intend to accomplish?”
Through the lenses of his glasses, Jennings’ eyes were cold.
“Undoubtedly, he purchased his admission to the Academy with the backing of a powerful family.”
At those words, Ren’s shoulders trembled.
“And likely secured his position as a Schuler with money as well. Am I wrong?”
Elined shook her head.
“Professor, that is…… a blatant insult toward Villed.”
Unconsciously, she put more force into her voice.
“……He is the only man I have acknowledged as a comrade.”
“Comradeship only applies when standing on equal footing.”
“I sincerely believe that he does.”
“Oh?”
Jennings let out a small laugh, as though amused by Elined’s words.
Elined paid him no mind and continued.
“……There is something about him. Villed has something unseen.”
“That’s right! I think so too. Even the Wind Spirit……!”
Ren agreed, but Jennings immediately cut him off.
“I did not grant you speaking rights. Remain silent.”
“S-Sorry…….”
Ren lowered his head and stepped back.
“Truly touching camaraderie, daughter of Pinzer.”
Jennings nodded with his eyes closed.
“Very well. I shall allow Dedencman to join from the next practice training onward.”
“……!”
Elined’s expression brightened instantly.
“However, I have a question for you. Do you believe Dedencman can produce good results in the next training?”
“Yes.”
Elined answered without hesitation.
“Just words?”
……The smile vanished from Jennings’ lips.
“Anyone can speak words. Therefore…… take responsibility.”
“……!”
Elined’s breath halted for a moment.
“Top five.”
Jennings extended his open palm.
“If Dedencman places within the top five, I will cleanly admit that I was wrong. I shall offer a formal apology to you all and to Dedencman as well. But if he fails……”
Jennings’ gaze pierced deeply into Elined.
“You will bear grave responsibility for disrupting my strategy.”
Cold sweat formed on Elined’s forehead. Her eyes trembled slightly.
“You are a Schuler of Fields, are you not? Quite coincidentally, he happens to be my peer. Should you fail to rank, I shall personally inform Fields of your judgment.”
A position as Fields’ Schuler was one obtained with great difficulty.
Among the many professors at Yggdrasil, two were especially outstanding.
Luber. And Fields.
Elined had been fortunate enough to become Fields’ Schuler since last summer.
“You understand well, as a Schuler of Fields. Your position, unlike others, is precarious every single day.”
Fields was a professor who replaced Schuler as often as eating meals.
Just the year before last, there had been a case where he changed Schuler twenty-one times.
Elined had barely endured half a year in that position.
But……
If even the slightest flaw were shown to Fields…… her Schuler position would surely be revoked.
“What is it? Now that you face the risk, are you afraid?”
Even at Jennings’ question, Elined could not easily speak.
Ren whispered quietly enough that only Elined could hear.
“……Miss Elined. Frankly, that ranking will be difficult for Sir Villed.”
Elined did not deny it.
Of course, Villed was not incompetent enough to deserve Jennings’ scorn.
He had talent.
But if asked whether he possessed the skill to place within the top five in this practice training……
Even Elined, who trusted him as a comrade, could not answer easily.
“Why no response? I value my time. If you intend to stand there mute, then leave.”
Jennings raised the corner of his lips mockingly.
Creak. Elined clenched her teeth.
……She had declared him the only comrade she acknowledged at the Academy.
To retract those words now?
……Pathetic.
As a member of the great Pinzer Family, her pride would never allow it.
Elined clenched her fist tightly.
“I will.”
“……Huh?”
Jennings let out a short laugh, clearly not having expected that answer.
“M-Miss Elined……?!”
Ren was horrified. The Imperial Princess widened her eyes silently.
Even Keirin dropped her playful demeanor and cried out, “Eek~!”
“In the next training, I will personally guarantee that Villed will place within the top five.”
Jennings merely smiled meaningfully, as if amused.
The Livestock Shed beneath a golden sunset.
As I was preparing food in the kitchen, Wisdom knocked and entered.
“Young master, students are approaching the Livestock Shed.”
“Students? Let them in first.”
Soon enough, I found out who they were.
As expected, it was Ren’s group.
Keirin looked at Wisdom curiously.
“Who is this? I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before…….”
“Nice to meet you. I am the manager working as the young master’s Livestock Shed guard.”
“Oh! A guard, nice to meet you~”
Ren stroked his chin as though recalling something.
“Are you perhaps Miss McGrim’s manager?”
“…….”
Wisdom broke into a cold sweat.
In the end, I spoke first.
“He had some circumstances, so he’ll be working here for a while at the house that was recently completed.”
“I see.”
“……So why are you here?”
I had been thinking, ‘If they came just to eat for free without reason, I should send them back.’
“Ah, something terrible has happened, Sir Villed…….”
Ren’s face filled with worry as he recalled their purpose.
Come to think of it, Elined had not even greeted me. She looked utterly drained.
Her shoulders sagged, she said nothing, her eyes unfocused—almost as if her soul had left her body.
……Even the golden badge on her chest, which always shone brilliantly, seemed dimmed.
Keirin asked me,
“Young master, did you know we had Mock War practice training today?”
“No, not at all.”
Though I said that, I had actually known.
I didn’t mind not receiving the training notice. If anything, I had been grateful to be excluded.
“Professor Jennings deliberately left you out of training. So we went to confront him, and Miss Pinzer ended up making a bet with him…… a really dangerous bet…….”
“What kind of bet?”
When I asked, Elined finally spoke with difficulty.
“Villed, we bet on whether you can achieve top five Contribution Score in next week’s practice training…….”
So that was why she looked like that.
My head throbbed.
An absurd event not even present in the original storyline had just been added.
“So who bet that I could make top five? Don’t tell me—it was you?”
“……Sniff.”
Elined looked on the verge of tears. She did not deny it.
……Seeing someone as self-loving and confident as Elined like this made me uneasy.
“So what’s at stake? Money? Honor? What?”
“Hic…….”
Tears pooled in her eyes.
Keirin answered in her stead.
“If it were money, that’d be better. If she loses this bet, Miss Pinzer might lose her position as Professor Fields’ Schuler.”
“Ha…….”
I was going to lose my mind.
I ran a dry hand down my face.