Chapter 75

September 23rd.

I was thinking about the actions I should take from now on.

I don't know how much interest the person trying to expel us has in us. Normally, I don't think they would pay much attention to us.

However, considering the possibility that we might be under surveillance, it would be better not to show our faces at the academy for a while. I plan to go to the library, but not to the academy, especially not to the classroom.

By doing this, they will likely think that we have stopped going to the academy due to the bullying.

They must have anticipated this when they started bullying us.

It's normal to think that a mere ten-year-old from the countryside, who is bullied by the teacher and the entire class, would be shocked and stop going to the academy. If we act according to their expectations, they will mistakenly think that things are going smoothly and won't take any further action against us. If that happens, we will gain the freedom to act, and the burden on Sharon, who is just a normal child, will be reduced.

Regarding our future actions, first, I will analyze the information we have gathered and determine the intentions of those trying to expel us. Once I am completely free to act, I plan to take the most effective measures to ensure they never harm us again. However, it is important to avoid acting out of anger and creating unnecessary enemies.

For the first step of information analysis, based on the information I have gathered so far, I am beginning to suspect that this is not just bullying but part of a larger conspiracy.

To turn this hypothesis into a certainty, I need more information. I decided to go to the Adventurer's Guild to request a professional information gatherer, as recommended by Professor Kitry Elbain from Tilia Magic Academy.

I will go with Ridi. Sharon wanted to come too, but considering the possibility of encountering unscrupulous adventurers at the guild, I sent her to the library.

The Doctus Adventurer's Guild is located on the west side of the new town and is a large, three-story wooden building.

When we entered, it was just past two in the afternoon, and the guild was rather quiet. Only a few adventurers were idly gathered in the meeting space.

Ridi, as when she came to sell magic crystals, had her hood pulled down to hide her face. I did the same to avoid being recognized as a child.

The receptionist, a woman in her early twenties, looked at us suspiciously. However, when I said, "I would like to discuss a request," she immediately put on a business smile and said,

"I will assist you. My name is Tina, and I am in charge of the reception."

"My name is Zacharias Rockhart."

After the greetings, I got straight to the point.

"Regarding the request, it will be a specific request..."

I explained the details of the request to Tina at the reception.

"...The person I want to request this from is a fourth-class adventurer named Sai Farman. The outline is as I just explained, but I will provide more details once the request is accepted."

It took about five minutes to explain and register the request.

Tina seemed to know Sai to some extent and said,

"Sai usually comes to the guild around eight in the morning to check for requests. I will talk to him then, and he will likely visit you by tomorrow morning."

We thanked Tina and left the guild.

September 24th morning.

A fourth-class adventurer named Sai Farman visited our house.

He was a man in his mid-thirties with a tanned face, and he dragged his feet a bit when he walked. According to Professor Kitry—Ridi's old friend, Professor Kitry Elbain—he had injured his leg in combat and now specialized in information gathering in the city.

He asked me for the details of the information I wanted to gather with a friendly smile.

"Zacharias Rockhart told me to ask you. So, what kind of information do you want to gather?"

"I want information about Councilor Wargman. His character, policies, beliefs, and connections. Most importantly, I want to know who his political opponents are. If possible, I would like to hear the results from multiple sources."

He nodded at my words but asked, "Multiple sources? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean those who support him and those who do not. If possible, I would like information from completely neutral third parties, but there are financial constraints. I would appreciate it if you could do your best within the scope of what is possible."

"You can expect one gold coin (100C = 100,000 yen). Plus, you have a recommendation from Professor Elbain, a regular customer. I will gather as much information as I can."

He said this with a smile and extended his right hand.

I took his hand and shook it firmly.

"The deadline is October 4th, ten days from now. Please update me on the progress by September 29th, five days from now. Depending on the situation, I may need to request additional information. Of course, in that case, I will provide additional compensation as per the contract."

When I spoke in an adult-like tone, he didn't seem particularly surprised, so I asked him about it.

"Professor Elbain told me. Plus, Professor Raspeade says you are a genius that comes once in a thousand years. There's nothing to be surprised about."

As someone who lives by gathering information, he had clearly done his research on us beforehand.

Sai immediately went out to gather information.

We decided to go to the forest since the weather was nice.

Today, we plan to go to the forest because the weather is good, but I don't intend to go to the academy for a while. I also plan to avoid the old town as much as possible.

Initially, I thought I would just avoid the area near the academy, but as time passed, I reconsidered and decided to make it look like we couldn't endure the bullying. I plan to go to Mr. Bennett—our homeroom teacher, Alick Bennett—to ask about the procedures for leaving the academy once I receive the information from Sai.

This is not only to ensure our safety but also to hope that some action will be taken if they think things are going according to their plan.

For the next four days, we went to the forest every day. Occasionally, we checked for any signs of surveillance, but we didn't feel any presence watching our house.

Unrelated to the current information gathering, after four days in the forest, Sharon's wind magic level increased to nineteen. On my side, due to the absence of Guy—Sharon's father, Guy Jakes—I often took the front line, and my magic swordsman level increased to nineteen. My sword skill level remained at twenty-five, but my evasion skill level steadily increased to twenty-nine. The plan to gain experience by entering the forest is going well as I had hoped.

However, there was one concern.

It was that I was the only one in the front line.

Our long-range attacks using magic by me, Ridi, and Sharon are quite powerful. We are confident that we are the best among young adventurer parties that operate in the area. However, when we encounter durable monsters, especially large gray bears, we struggle.

We try to whittle down their health with hit-and-run tactics from a distance, but Ridi and Sharon's wind magic doesn't seem to be very effective. I engage in close combat to immobilize the bear, and then they cast their spells, but Sharon has been pushed to the brink of running out of magic power.

One of the goals is to improve my sword skills in the front line, but with the current party composition, I am concerned that we won't be able to progress beyond the forest near the city. For now, we are leveling up smoothly, but there is a possibility that we will hit a plateau with the monsters here.

Eventually, we will be forced to either increase the party members or become an expert in close combat.

September 29th morning.

Sai, whom I had asked to gather information, came to our house with the information.

"I have gathered as much information as I could in the old town. To get more, I would need to contact the upper echelons of the guild."

With that preface, he began to share the information he had gathered.

"First, regarding Councilor Wargman's character, the most common public opinion is that he is a noble and reform-minded politician. In the old town, there is a lot of hope for educational reform..."

Wargman is seen as a young hope who aims to reform the academy and the guild's outdated system. Many residents of the old town have high expectations for him.

"However, that is the public opinion. In reality, he doesn't seem to be as noble as people think. There are some not-so-good rumors about him, though not outright corrupt..."

Wargman is the head of the Education Research Committee, which oversees the academy. There are rumors that he is trying to appoint his faction members to positions through academy reform. He is also said to have connections with suppliers of the academy's equipment and to receive kickbacks.

"Well, to some extent, all councilors do this. Especially when Seaberg was the head of the Personnel Committee, it was much worse. He pushed his people into the academy regardless of their abilities. The current principal is a prime example. From my observations, Wargman is one of the more decent politicians in this city."

I nodded, and he moved on to the next piece of information.

"His policies and beliefs are as I mentioned. Regarding the political opponents you want to know about, there is no one in the current council who is clearly opposing him. Of course, there are councilors who secretly view him as an enemy..."

Wargman's main political opponents are Councilors Forsyth and Ibbetson.

Forsyth is a potential successor to the council presidency, like Wargman. He is a financial expert and opposes Wargman's academy reform, citing the strain it would put on Doctus's finances. However, the public opinion is that Forsyth, who has lived in the conservative mainstream, finds Wargman's rapid reforms bothersome.

The other political opponent, Ibbetson, is the head of the Personnel Committee. The current president, Seaberg, is also from the personnel field, and it is rumored that he wants to designate Ibbetson as his successor.

The president is elected by the eight councilors and three advisors—former presidents—so it is said that Ibbetson is trying to oust his main rival, Wargman.

Sai, with a bit of a dramatic pause, said, "...And there is another person who seems to be an enemy."

"His college contemporary and supposed ally, Vice-Chancellor Isherwood."

I had a feeling this was possible, so I didn't express any surprise or doubt. Sai, aiming for a dramatic effect, looked a bit disappointed but quickly regained his composure and continued.

"I see, you expected that. Well, that's fine. You know that Isherwood graduated second in his class, right?"

I nodded, and he continued.

"The difference between Wargman and Isherwood wasn't that significant. To be precise, their ranking was determined by the evaluation of a certain person."

I thought of a person and asked, "Professor Raspeade?"

Sai showed a slightly surprised expression, then said with a sigh,

"You're not very impressive. But yes, that's correct. Professor Raspeade doesn't care about academic grades based on memory. His evaluations are based on whether a student can think creatively and cast magic with a stronger image. In other words, Isherwood had better academic grades but didn't receive a good evaluation from Professor Raspeade, which significantly affected his final year's grades."

"So, in terms of academic and simple practical skills, Isherwood was better?"

"Exactly. While Wargman was inferior to Isherwood in practical skills at graduation, he steadily improved after becoming a court magician in Sartus. By the time he left Sartus ten years later, he had reached level thirty-five. It's rare for a court magician to raise their level by nearly twenty in just ten years, so Professor Raspeade's judgment was correct."

There are two types of court magicians dispatched by the guild.

The first type is sent out for about ten years after graduation to see the outside world. These are typically elite individuals who are sent to learn diplomacy and build connections.

The second type is the true court magician.

They serve the royal family, educating the royal children in peacetime and using magic to fight enemies in times of crisis. These court magicians, while recommended by the guild, often swear allegiance to the royal family rather than the guild and frequently engage in combat to level up.

Wargman, despite being of the first type, worked hard to level up and achieved a faster level increase than ordinary magicians.

"At graduation, Isherwood was not satisfied with his ranking. However, after meeting Wargman, who had returned from Sartus, he changed his attitude and became Wargman's ally. Of course, this rumor was spread by Isherwood himself."

"So, Isherwood still isn't satisfied with his ranking at graduation and is thinking of hindering Wargman."

Sai smiled and said, "That's a shame. From here on, it's my speculation, so I can't guarantee it's true. But if you want to hear it, I'll tell you."

I felt that Sai's analysis was accurate, so I said, "Please go on."

"Isherwood has been promoted much faster than ordinary staff. Of course, Wargman, who has been promoted even faster, stands out, but Isherwood's promotion is also significant. It seems he has been using Wargman effectively. And Wargman has been using Isherwood..."

Isherwood reconciled with Wargman and began supporting his policies. As a former member of the Personnel Committee, Isherwood was well-versed in factional dynamics and personnel information. Wargman saw the value in his abilities and used him to remove obstacles to his policies.

"From what I've heard, a significant number of people have been removed. As a result, Wargman achieved an unprecedented promotion and became the youngest councilor. Isherwood also advanced in his career, following Wargman's lead..."

In other words, according to Sai's analysis, they had a mutually beneficial relationship.

"Then, Isherwood's next target is a councilor's seat. When Wargman retires or becomes president, he may not necessarily designate Isherwood as his successor. It's likely that there is an unspoken agreement between them. Moreover, it's unlikely that Isherwood will continue Wargman's policies. So, what Isherwood is thinking is..."

He paused and took a sip of water to moisten his throat.

"If Isherwood aims for a councilor's seat, it will likely be a different one. Normally, he would designate a successor from his own faction, but if he thinks he can become president, he might change his mind. For example, Ibbetson might think the same way."

According to Sai's analysis, Isherwood is using Wargman's downfall as leverage to become Ibbetson's successor.

(From what I've heard, it seems that Isherwood is the one who set us up. Indeed, his daughter, Anita, is in the same class, so it would be easy for him to contact Bennett and lead the bullying. He also has detailed knowledge of the Wargman family...)

I was unsure if I should make a judgment based on this information alone.

(Sai's logic seems sound, but is it really true? If the initial information is incorrect, even if the logic is sound, the conclusion will be different. The rumors from the old town residents and lower-level guild staff may not be accurate. With multiple factions, various rumors are likely circulating. The information we obtained is only from a part of these rumors. It feels risky to make a judgment based on this.)

"I will pay additional compensation, so I would like you to gather more information through a different method."

He asked with a smile, "What specifically do you want me to do?"

"I am going to ask Mr. Bennett, my homeroom teacher, about the procedures for leaving the academy. He is likely acting on someone's orders to set us up, so he will probably report to the mastermind or the messenger. I want you to find out where he goes and who he meets..."

My plan is this:

If I show my intention to leave the academy to Bennett, he will likely report it with enthusiasm. While it's unlikely that the mastermind gave him direct instructions, he will at least report to the messenger. By tracking him, I hope to trace the mastermind.

"True, that's a possibility, but is Mr. Bennett really involved in this? If that premise is wrong, the investigation will be meaningless."

Sai showed understanding of my reasoning but pointed out the risk of basing the investigation on that premise.

"I don't mind. If Mr. Bennett is even more foolish than I think, then this investigation itself is meaningless."

I started thinking this way because Bennett's behavior was abnormal. While it's possible he is just foolish, there are ways to deal with that. I don't enjoy using people's power, but with Professor Ras